


Something Slightly Resembling Gumption

by aeriamamaduck



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Author Victor Nikiforov, Beer, Bisexual Katsuki Yuuri, Chicago (City), Co-Parents, Dating, Depressed Victor Nikiforov, Developing Relationship, Drunk Katsuki Yuuri, Emotional Hurt, Eventual Smut, F/F, Falling In Love, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Karaoke, Late Night Conversations, Love, M/M, Meet-Cute, Multi, Mutual Pining, Parenthood, Past Relationship(s), Post-Break Up, The Holiday (2006) AU, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vacation, Victor and Mila are bffs, Walk Into A Bar, Yuuri and Sara have a daughter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 01:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13447503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: Yuuri's love life has never been the most fortunate, since his first relationship ended in a break-up (sort of...) and his boyfriend of almost a year cheated on him. He takes it all as a sign to solely concentrate on work and parenthood, trying to ignore his heartbreak.-Newly-dumped Victor jumps at the chance to get away from things by taking his friend Mila's advice and taking a spur-of-the-moment trip. It almost works, but he can't quite dodge his loneliness or an encroaching identity crisis. Then he meets Yuuri on a day when an autumn wind blows strong.





	1. Leading Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, how to explain this...
> 
> this isn't going to be a total replication of what goes on in _The Holiday_ (one of my favorite movies). the biggest differences are that there is NO SWITCHING HOMES OF ANY KIND, and it's set in Chicago during the late summer-autumn. 
> 
> Yuuri's largely based on Iris, but there's obvious Graham twist to him as well. Victor's the Amanda/Miles mix. 
> 
> I should just stop saying I'm not going to post these when I just end up posting them months later. 
> 
> please enjoy

"Now  _that_ is a beautiful piece," Christophe said, eyeing the newest drawing Yuuri held in his hands. "I can't quite tell what it is, but it's incredibly pretty."

 

Yuuri laughed softly, unable to stop smiling at the drawing his daughter had so proudly presented to him the day before. It was a mess of looping lines in multiple colors, but he'd readily agreed when she explained what it was. "It's a butterfly coming out of its cocoon, or "coo-coo", as Satomi calls it."

 

Christophe clicked his tongue in a coo, saying, "That is absolutely adorable. She's so talented she ought to illustrate that book Sara's working on. How's that going, by the way?"

 

"The book?" Yuuri asked. "She's a few drafts in, and she really is trying to find an illustrator."

 

"That's good, but I meant the co-parenting," Christophe clarified. "Your break-up with Anthony was a couple of months ago, and Sara's single as far as I know. Have you ever thought about rekindling things?" he asked, green eyes bright with curiosity as they gazed at Yuuri.

 

Setting the drawing down, Yuuri chewed the inside of his cheek and silently wondered when people would stop asking that particular question. Several people in the newspaper he worked at already had, looking at him like some sort of oddity after he explained how he and his longtime ex-girlfriend were...co-parenting. "Not really," he replied, trying to smile at Christophe reassuringly. "She's not interested, and we're okay with just being friends and trying to be good parents for Satomi."

 

His and Sara's situation was...sort of complicated. Odd to most, unacceptable to others. They took the questions in stride, though Sara had an easier time of it than Yuuri did. It wasn't that they still had  _those_ feelings for each other, or that there was some manner of romantic or sexual tension between them. Honestly, people seemed so intensely fixated on that and Sara had to laugh.

 

Honestly, Yuuri could see how it could be complicated, but at the same time it was so simple. A break-up didn't necessarily have to get in the way of their daughter having both parents in her life, especially when they still got along with each other. 

 

On his way towards a degree in journalism, Yuuri was nineteen when his roommate set him up with an eighteen-year-old English major named Sara Crispino. She was beautiful, smart, and incredibly talented. And she had a twin brother named Michele who regarded Yuuri with an intense amount of suspicion.

 

They'd dated for several months, Yuuri losing sleep over figuring out how to keep this run of good luck going and not do something so monumentally stupid that Sara would break up with him. He'd agonized over whether or not their first kiss ( _his first kiss)_ wasn't totally unimpressive on his part, and then grew more anxious as Michele's angry presence loomed over him.

 

His first time having sex was a hurried event that had Yuuri grateful he'd had the foresight to buy condoms before getting Sara to his place. But nothing stopped the inevitable split, as Yuuri already sensed Sara drifting away from him. It wasn't angry or...too painful. 

 

Once he got himself past the ache as best he could, Yuuri concluded that this at least got him away from Mickey's terrifying glares and that he was incredibly glad that he'd kept Sara as a friend. 

 

Two weeks later she tearfully told him she had taken a pregnancy test and it came back positive.

 

Nine months later, in spite of all the months of people trying to shove them back together (all while calling Yuuri a doormat and telling Sara how ungrateful she was), Yuuri was in the room with Sara as she gave birth to their daughter, a perfectly beautiful little girl with Sara's eyes. Their lovely Satomi Chiara.

 

Four years later and several hurdles later Yuuri and Sara were still navigating co-parenthood and separate homes, and fortunately their parents hadn't been among the many detractors who told them things would never work out this way, and had given them what support they'd needed. All four grandparents readily offered to babysit, and Mari was entirely capable of keeping Mickey from leaping at Yuuri (though sometimes he still tried to).

 

Christophe nodded at his explanation, still looking at him thoughtfully. "It's still a shame things with Anthony didn't work out. But he was an idiot. You're unbelievably sweet, you have a gorgeous body, and you're a wonderful parent!"

 

"I think it's the "parent" part that ended up being the turn-off," Yuuri said, absently staring at the text on his computer screen as his throat began to tighten at the reminder. 

 

He'd been so adamant about being a responsible parent and dedicating himself to Satomi's wellbeing that he'd decided against dating. It was yet another reason his peers thought he was crazy, considering the fact that he wasn't in a relationship with Sara. But Anthony, a co-worker's younger brother, had been handsome and funny when Yuuri met him for the first time a year before, and Yuuri talked himself into testing the waters. It was scary and new, considering how different they were. Anthony bloomed with confidence while Yuuri didn't think he had much of it.

 

They made it almost a year, and Yuuri thought things were going well. Anthony had known from the start that Yuuri was a parent and that he and Sara were a part of his life, and he claimed he was completely fine with it. Yuuri was never sure that he was, and it turned out in the end that he was right to doubt. He was never entirely comfortable around Satomi or Sara and while that raised up a few alarms in Yuuri's head, he reminded himself that Anthony was still young and obviously not ready to become a step-parent. 

 

Yuuri couldn't ask that of him, and supposed that it would've been better for him to break things off, since it seemed that Anthony wasn't going to. Maybe he would have avoided the agony and powerlessness that plagued him ever since walking into a cafe and finding Anthony kissing someone else.

 

It had only cemented Yuuri's doubts about the relationship and himself, and he barely heard any of Anthony's apologies and explanations. He remembered shaking his head and walking away, barely making it home before bursting into tears. Anthony seemed to get the message after Yuuri ignored his texts and calls for several days.

 

Funny how he never thought to come to Yuuri's door himself.

 

He'd gathered the many pieces of himself and slowly got back up to his shaky feet, promising to focus on Satomi even when he didn't feel like he was the father she deserved. It was easier said than done, especially when he was still asking himself just _what_ he did wrong and how he could have thought that it would actually work out. At least Satomi hadn't gotten attached.

 

He jumped slightly when Christophe put a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to find a hard look in the other man's eyes. "Don't you dare blame yourself. You're a wonderful young man who deserved better than a lying cheat who didn't have the decency to properly break up with you before carrying on with someone else," he said, surprising Yuuri with his fervor. "You deserve bouquets, breakfast in bed, couch cuddles...and for someone to show you a good time in bed. I can certainly introduce you to someone if you'd like," he added with a smirk and a wink.

 

Yuuri flushed and turned back to his screen, eyes raking through the rows of letters even if he wasn't paying attention to what they spelled out. "I-I'm okay on that front!" he exclaimed.

 

"Really? You are getting a rather pinched look."

 

"I'm just hungry," Yuuri said as he put his hands back on his keyboard. "Want to go get lunch in a little while?"

 

"Gladly," Christophe said, deciding to have mercy on Yuuri. "You can show me that video of little Satomi Chiara and her fantastic sand castle."

 

"Absolutely," he replied, unable to resist smiling at the thought of showing his daughter off.


	2. A Romantic Lead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, I didn't forget about this story. xP I was caught up in other fics, unemployment, a family trip, etcetera...
> 
> BUT here is the update, and we get to meet Victor!

Victor's throat was on fire. It almost felt like he could choke on the painful tightness.

 

And yet he couldn't cry.

 

He was in his spacious bathtub, mind turned foggy with wine and the heady scents of the bubble bath and scented candles he'd surrounded himself with. A mournful song playing on his phone, sitting on the edge of the sink a couple of feet away. Anyone else might have called it too much, but to Victor's mind it perfectly suited his mood. 

 

Mournful. Irritated. Hurt.

 

Heavy with misery and loneliness.

 

Yeah, he'd squeezed out a few tears, but it did nothing to relieve the suffocating tightness in his chest as he thought about Karl.

 

Two years. Two years that made very little sense to Victor, now that he thought about it. They probably shouldn't have lasted past that first, exciting year, which had been marred with Victor's reluctance to share more than he had about himself.

 

The second year, Victor bottled up the feeling of foreboding he got when he noticed Karl's increasing disinterest, his apparent decision to stop trying to find another way into Victor's tightly locked-up heart, his annoyance with Victor's dark moods and days when he only wanted to stay in bed and sleep as long as he could, dreaming of someone holding him, neither talking nor kissing. Just holding him through the suffocation.

 

Whoever held him, it wasn't Karl.

 

So yeah, maybe it wasn't the break-up making him feel like this. 

 

Maybe it was loneliness. A sense of failure. Guilt at not doing more to keep Karl happy, a very minor guilt at failing himself once again.

 

Makkachin barked at the door, and Victor let himself smile at the sound, though it was a little bit sheepish. He always managed to forget that Mila had a key to his place.

 

He made sure he looked relaxed when he heard her knock on the wall just outside the bathroom. "Are you decent?"

 

"Come on in," he called, schooling his face into nonchalance and taking a short sip of his wine.

 

She walked in, a beacon of magnificence with her red hair and scarlet dress, which fell to her knees, allowing a few inches of bare skin to show before her loud-sounding brown boots began. Mila froze on the threshold, mouth flat with loving exasperation as she took in the sight of Victor practically buried in bubbles and clutching a glass of wine. "You  _said_  you were decent."

 

"I'm covered in bubbles! They're not disappearing anytime soon," Victor said lightly, playfully lifting a leg out of the water and wiggling his toes.

 

 

Finally smiling, Mila sat herself down on the toilet lid, crossing her legs and clicking her tongue at him. "Drinking in a bubble bath, surrounded by rose-scented candles, and listening to break-up songs...You're really going for it, aren't you?"

 

"I'm moping. Let me  _mope,_ " Victor pouted, finishing off his glass and setting it aside, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the cool tile on the wall.

 

It was silent for a moment before Mila commented, "So...the apartment's a mess. Was...that you?"

 

He wanted to laugh bitterly. "No. Karl came back to get his things. Him and...whoever he's been seeing."

 

Karl hadn't cheated, at least. No, he was courteous enough to have waited until they'd broken up to take up with his new partner. Victor had taken Makkachin and retreated to Georgi's place for an entire day to give them time to dig through the apartment for all of Karl's possessions, though apparently they hadn't been entirely careful about it.

 

Victor's throat tightened even more at the thought of it. He'd straightened things up a bit after he returned, but dealing with the rest felt like an entire war that Victor didn't feel like fighting, and then he filled up the tub. 

 

Maybe once he'd cleaned everything up it would feel like Karl had never even entered his life.

 

Just like every other man before him.

 

He couldn't cry before. He  _wouldn't_ cry now, not in front of Mila. She was nice, a dear friend, but even the thought of it had Victor wanting to hide. He willed the spasms in his throat to subside, keeping his eyes shut until he felt like he could breathe normally again.

 

"Karl's a jerk, okay?" Mila said as soon as Victor opened his eyes. "You were good to him for two years. Hell, he moved in with  _you_ , and not even three days after you guys split he's already dating someone else. And he ruins your book piles when he comes to pick up his shit!"

 

Yeah, those hurt too. "I needed to organize those again anyway," Victor said with a wide smile and easy shrug, thinking about the books he'd had lovingly piled around the apartment as he read through them, a sort of organized chaos that Karl often lost patience with.

 

 _Maybe his new love organizes his books by author, by color, by genre..._ Victor wanted to sink into the water and scream. 

 

There were millions of reasons why it finally didn't work out, but Karl decided to simplify it by saying Victor wasn't challenging him. They were stagnant, settled in the worst way.

 

Victor didn't dispute that. 

 

Then Victor told him that he hadn't felt happy in a long time.

 

It was a terrifying moment of vulnerability, and Victor pulled back before Karl could see more. 

 

Still, it was over. Peacefully.

 

And yet Victor didn't feel any sort of peace. Just acceptance. Failure. 

 

"Come to the States with me," Mila said, kneeling at the side of the tub and tucking her chin into a stack of bubbles, playfully blowing at them and watching them flutter about. "I'll work on my photo series, do some drawing, and you can show off that majestic poodle of yours and get a date with some dog-loving American who'll treat you right."

 

Victor couldn't help smiling at the idea. Mila was hard at work on a series of urban photographs, intending to show the bustle of daily life in Saint Petersburg and beyond. Or something like that. She'd described it in more glorious terms that Victor couldn't quite remember at the moment. "Well that's an unexpected offer, Milochka, but I thought Yuri was going with you." 

 

"Yuri backed out. He's finally meeting Otabek's parents. It's a good thing he told me before I got the tickets," Mila said, smirking as she spoke about their young, abrasive friend, who sometimes embodied a kitten with his haughtiness and sudden bouts of vulnerability. "Besides...I don't exactly want to leave you like this. Call me an annoying busybody, like Yura does, but I think you need a change of scenery. Away from the disaster zone Karl left here."

 

He stared at her gentle smile, and thought about her unwavering sense of loyalty to her friends. Deep in his heart Victor wanted to break down and weep into her shoulder, listening to every vulgar thing she had to say about Karl, or any of Victor's exes. He wouldn't be picky.

 

But he did take her hand, squeezing it gratefully as he gave her a smile. "So? When do we leave?"

 

Mila beamed at him in delight, bouncing on her knees before getting to her feet and letting go of his hand. "Blow those candles out and get out of there! We've got a trip to plan and an apartment to clean up!"

 

Victor laughed as he watched her leave, shutting the door behind her and proceeding to coo at Makkachin.

 

His smile faded slowly. It was a good idea, and it would probably help him get through his manuscript. At the moment he didn't think it would fly of the shelves (unlike its four predecessors), but hopefully he could change that soon. Just a couple of calls, a trip to the vet for Makkachin, and he'd be off, continents and oceans away from fucking Karl.

 

Victor huffed and sank into the water, keeping his eyes shut.

 

He didn't scream, but he did hold his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't drink in the tub, kiddies.
> 
> next up: yuuri hates social media and sara and satomi enter the picture


	3. Backstory and Change of Scenery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a slut for Vicchan LIVING.

Yuuri could feel his throat growing tight with a well-remembered hurt, and he really wanted to have about twelve hours to cry and wallow in self-pity over his bad luck.

 

But not tonight. Yuuri had a four-year-old to look after tonight, so there'd be no time for any of that until Satomi fell asleep, and even then Yuuri hated to risk waking her up with the sound of him pathetically crying in the bathroom.

 

So he'd hold back, like he always did.

 

As soon as he closed his apartment door behind him, though, Yuuri leaned against it and closed his eyes, letting the pressure at his back ground him just a little as he shut his eyes and took several deep, ragged breaths, trying not to sink to the ground and give in to that awful tightness in his throat. 

 

But he couldn't ignore Vicchan's anxious barks coming from in front of him, and he knelt down to take his dog in his arms to give him a quick squeeze. "Hi, boy. I'll get your food, okay?"

 

As he did so, Yuuri dreaded taking out his phone to check for any calls or messages from Sara. 

 

He'd been at lunch with Chris and Phichit, both of them teasing Yuuri over the fact that their nineteen-year-old server seemed to be harboring an apparent crush on him. Yuuri recognized the boy, and knew his name was Kenjirou, but wasn't exactly ready to jump from one relationship to another, especially with a kid who wasn't even twenty yet. In all likelihood he'd get over his crush rather quickly once he found out that Yuuri had a little girl. 

 

It was probably unfair, but Yuuri couldn't chance finding out for himself, and he couldn't just go around asking any potential partners to become a parent overnight.  _That_ was even more unfair. 

 

And maybe his heartbreak was really his own fault for expecting too much of Anthony, for taking his apparent happiness for granted even though he looked strained whenever Sara was present and seemed a little wary around Satomi. Yuuri had blamed it on nerves. 

 

Even so, Yuuri remembered being so incredibly nervous as he committed himself even further to the relationship, growing anxious about the future. Inviting Anthony to move in with him was such a terrifying step, but Anthony seemed so pleased by that form of reassurance, and...honestly, Yuuri had been so starved for touch and intimacy that he battled through the debilitating nerves and let Anthony further into his life.

 

Yuuri thought he was getting over seeing Anthony kissing someone else. The fact that he was almost crying into his dog's food bowl said otherwise. 

 

He'd been in the middle of eating and listening to his friends chatting, scrolling through his newsfeed until he caught sight of that familiar face, rapidly scrolling back up as his meal started to sit too heavily in his stomach and his heart sank down. 

 

A mutual friend of theirs had shared the photo, commenting a string of heart emojis. He stopped breathing as he gazed at his screen, Anthony staring out at him with a smile as his new boyfriend kissed his cheek.

 

He looked happy. 

 

Had he ever looked that happy when he was with Yuuri?

 

It was the only thing that had been on Yuuri's mind for hours, and his emotions were a gigantic mess of anger and pain. A small part of him wanted to call Sara and tell her that he couldn't take Satomi tonight, but he quickly ignored it. His daughter came before his hurt feelings. It was his own fault for not being careful to cut off every tie to Anthony.

 

As he watched Vicchan eat, he took another deep breath and dug his phone out of his pocket, swiping at the screen to see that Sara had indeed texted him five minutes before to let him know that she and Satomi were on their way.

 

He sat down and turned the television on. Sara had a key to his apartment and would let herself in. He just needed to sit and breathe for a little while with some white noise in the background.

 

It worked, a little, though Yuuri still felt like his heart was slowly splintering apart. 

 

The sound of keys turning in a lock had him alert in seconds, and he sat up and blinked the sting out of his eyes before the door opened and Sara walked into the apartment with a little girl in tow.

 

Yuuri couldn't resist getting up and beaming at the sight of her as she launched herself at him, trying to wrap her arms around his waist and exclaiming, "Daddy!"

 

Bending down to hug her, Yuuri murmured into her soft hair, "Hi, Sacchan." He looked up at Sara and gave her a smile in greeting. "Everything okay?"

 

"Everything's good. I'm just looking forward to getting a bit of work done," she replied with a sigh, smiling back at him.

 

Tugging insistently at Yuuri's shirt, Satomi informed him excitedly, "I drew Vicchan! Wanna see?"

 

She didn't wait for his answer as she removed the little backpack she wore and opened it up, pulling out a small roll of paper. When she unrolled it, Yuuri was a bit grateful that she'd informed him that the brown blob was supposed to be his dog. "Wow. It looks just like him," he told her with a gentle stroke of her hair.

 

Her purple eyes widened delightedly, and a second later her attention was caught by the subject of her drawing, leaping around her with several happy yips until she was following after him.

 

Sara laughed as she watched her. "Good call. Mickey told her it looked like chocolate ice cream someone dropped on the ground."

 

Yuuri shook his head tiredly. "Have I mentioned how much I love your brother?"

 

"Once or twice." She turned back to him and must have seen something in his expression, because she gave him a concerned look before asking. "Are you okay?"

 

Yuuri avoided her gaze for a moment, looking at Satomi as she caught Vicchan and lifted him into her arms to let him lick at her face. It was both the easiest and hardest thing in the world to tell Sara that he was fine, that his world hadn't fallen apart for the second time in recent weeks. Back when Yuuri was still with Anthony, she'd taken an "I like him if you like him" position, which meant that she hadn't held anything back when Yuuri told her what he'd seen that day.

 

But Sara was tenacious, and Yuuri knew he wouldn't be able to fool her. He led her to the couch and sat down beside her, pulling his phone out and wordlessly scrolling down his feed until he reached the photo, showing it to her and feeling his throat tighten again.

 

Sara sucked in a shocked breath, and he watched her soft gaze turn into an angry glare. "...The other guy doesn't look like much," she muttered, turning the phone screen off before handing it back to Yuuri.

 

Shaking his head dejectedly, Yuuri couldn't help but say, "He's  _perfect_. He's got perfect hair, a perfect smile, and perfect eyes."

 

"You've got all of that too," Sara said. "Anthony's just an asshole," she added, voice growing quieter as she uttered the insult.

 

"That asshole was probably the love of my life," Yuuri replied, remembering to whisper. "He was...amazing. At everything." Friendly, funny...and a smile that could stop hearts. Yuuri had fallen so hard and fast, it was no wonder he missed...so much.

 

Sara suddenly let out a snort and Yuuri gave her a confused look. She cleared her throat and scooted closer to him so she could say _very_ quietly, "Well...obviously you don't remember this, but the weekend after you two broke up, you got incredibly drunk and called me to talk all sorts of crap about him."

 

Yuuri felt his stomach plummet horribly. He remembered sitting in his apartment, but everything was a blank after he disposed of his wine glass to just drink directly out of the bottle. When he woke up the next morning there were two empty bottles on the couch and he had no memory of anything that may have occurred the night before. "... _What?"_

 

She nodded and smiled, whispering, "You said something about him being bad at blowjobs. And then you started crying and feeling guilty for being so mean since...well, you only had  _me_ to compare him with."

 

Face burning with embarrassment, Yuuri looked at the floor and wished it would just swallow him up. If he'd said  _any_ of that within Mickey's hearing, there was no doubt in Yuuri's mind that he would have been on the receiving end of a few punches. "Oh my God..."

 

"It was flattering," Sara said brightly.

 

Covering his face, Yuuri muttered miserably, "I...am terrible. _Awful_. No wonder he cheated on me."

 

He felt Sara's hand squeeze his shoulder, drawing his gaze up to hers. Still quiet, she told him, "Unless you were going around telling other people about his awful blowjobs, you did  _not_ deserve to get cheated on. And anyway, I'm not an idiot. I could tell he couldn't handle the fact that Satomi and I are in the picture."

 

"I  _want_ you two in the picture," Yuuri replied, hating the thought of not having Satomi in his life more than the heartbreak he felt. Everyone outside their family and close friends seemed to think Yuuri and Sara's lives would be easier if they just hated each other's guts and fought over every little thing like  _normal_ exes...who happened to have a kid together. 

 

That was an idea Yuuri could readily ignore for Satomi's sake. She deserved parents who at least got along, even if there was no chance of them getting married. "Did she eat?" he asked Sara.

 

"Yeah, she'll be good for a while," Sara replied, squeezing his shoulder again before getting to her feet and holding her arms out towards their daughter. "Come give Mama a kiss,  _piccola!"_

 

Satomi immediately left Vicchan's side to clamber into Sara's arms, kissing her cheek and saying, " _Ciao, Mama._ "

 

"I love you,  _bambina,"_   Sara said with one more squeeze before depositing the little girl into Yuuri's arms. "Have fun, and call me if you need anything."

 

"Be careful, okay?" Yuuri called after her as he followed her to the door. He and Satomi waved at her as she left the apartment, and then it was just the two of them. He didn't really have to force a smile as he asked her, "Feel like watching a movie?"

 

" _Moana! Moana!"_ Satomi exclaimed enthusiastically, bouncing up and down in Yuuri's arms.

 

* * *

 

The surge of excitement Victor had been feeling over the past few days didn't last once he and Mila settled into the borrowed apartment they were meant to stay in, and he was hard-pressed to hide the sudden exhaustion he was feeling, reminding himself that he was in a new city, and there were new sights for him and Makkachin to experience while Mila got her work done.

 

It was jet-lag. Just jet-lag, he told himself, unpacking what he would need immediately, such as his pile of books.

 

Mila gaped at the pile of a dozen or so books and asked incredulously, "Just...how many books did you bring?" 

 

Victor shrugged as he kept smiling at her. "It's not that many! It's just a few that I haven't gotten around to reading." 

 

He knelt down to run his hands over Makkachin's fur, happy to see his friend so happy and comfortable after hours of being cooped up in his cage. No doubt Makkachin would want to explore every part of the apartment while Victor and Mila slept.

 

Apparently deciding not to question whether or not Victor was actually going to sit down and read any of the books, Mila looked out the window overlooking the park across the street. "So it's not exactly downtown, but it's quiet and private!"

 

"It's lovely," Victor added, recalling his excitement as he looked at  _everything_ , from the buildings to the trees, on the drive from the airport. Were he not so tired he would have remembered to feel excited about seeing the buildings downtown, the tallest of which he could see from the expressway. "It's a little rainier than I expected, though."

 

"Yeah, well, it's autumn," Mila replied before yawning tiredly. " _God_ , I'm ready to pass out..."

 

"I think Makkachin feels the same," Victor said, getting up and sighing as his tired muscles popped with the motion. "And I'm too tired to take a shower," he mumbled before falling forward onto the bed, groaning at the ache in his body.

 

"Gross, Vitya," Mila laughed, flicking the top of his head before leaving the room and calling over her shoulder, "I'm just across the hall, okay? And the web says there's a vet and pet shop nearby if Makkachin needs anything."

 

Victor mumbled sleepily into the sheet he lay upon, hearing the door close as Makkachin clambered onto the bed, settling next to Victor's prone form and licking at his ear.

 

Turning his face to look at his dog, Victor asked with a sleepy smile, "We'll have fun, won't we?"

 

Makkachin  _boofed_ in enthusiastic agreement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next is a meet-cute between our two favorite dogs.
> 
> oh and yuuri and victor are there too :P
> 
> Please comment!


	4. Meet-Cute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update this time.

The tea had been hot enough that Yuuri could sit comfortably in the cold. 

 

The park was big enough that he didn't see many people around, finding a lone bench to sit on after walking Vicchan for a while. 

 

It all helped him clear his head a bit. He hadn't looked at any social media even after cutting ties with people who'd been friends of Anthony. He'd go on with his work, pick Satomi up and spend time with her, and forget about his terrible love life.

 

Even with all that planning, he still yearned to run back home and crawl into bed, tugging his blanket over himself and sleeping away the entire winter. Hibernation sounded great. Those animals certainly knew a thing or too.

 

But Vicchan and Satomi would miss him. Especially on Christmas. Vicchan liked his little gift basket of treats and Sacchan had already told him what kind of plush toy she wanted.

 

By the time November ended she'd probably try and get creative in her efforts to search for it ahead of time. She'd already done it on her birthday, even trying to get Vicchan to sniff her present out.

 

Closing his eyes for a few moments, Yuuri thought of how he wanted to fully embrace that part of his life. The part that included a little girl who loved him to pieces, and hopefully still would when she became a teenager. 

 

He could hear another dog barking from a fair distance away, but kept his eyes closed. Maybe that dog's owner wouldn't care that there was some pathetic fool taking a nap on a bench. 

 

Then Vicchan yipped back and suddenly there was a sharp tug from the leash hanging from Yuuri's wrist, which quickly slipped off. Opening his eyes in surprise, Yuuri sat up straight and watched his dog sprinting away towards...

 

Yeah. That was the other dog. Still barking.

 

"Vicchan, wait up!" Yuuri called out, jumping to his feet and running after the small dog.

 

Running across the grassy field, his dog gladly ignoring him, Yuuri's gaze flickered towards the somehow oblivious person sitting on the bench, possibly the bigger dog's owner, sitting with their back to Yuuri. He didn't observe them for long, close to catching up to Vicchan.

 

Then, as soon as he reached the edge of the field, Yuuri tripped with an undignified yelp, sprawling facedown on the grass. "Crap," he muttered, already feeling the mess of grass and wet leaves on his face. His glasses askew, he still managed to look up and see Vicchan still yipping and bouncing around a bigger, darker poodle.

 

When he got to his feet, trying to brush away the dirt on his front, Yuuri looked up to find himself face to face with...

 

Oh.

 

Oh, hell.

 

Staring back at him were a pair of mind-blowingly gorgeous blue eyes, their owner looking at him over his shoulder in bewilderment. His soft-looking hair was silver. Literally silver.

 

Yuuri probably should've realized he was staring like an idiot.

 

"...Hello," the other man said with a  _fucking accent, **God**._

 

Gaping like a goldfish, Yuuri's brilliant reply was, "If you heard me swear, I'm sorry." 

 

Lord, kill him now. Let Sacchan remember him fondly.

 

The yearning for death only increased when the man let out a rich chuckle. At least his smile was amazing, and Yuuri could die a little bit...dazzled. "It's fine," he replied, closing his book and setting it aside to get up, looking at Yuuri with mild concern. "Are you alright? That looked like it hurt-" He cut himself off as soon as his eyes fell on their dogs, who were still in the middle of sniffing each other in greeting. Yuuri watched his eyes widen in pleased surprise, and he turned to ask Yuuri in adoring tones, "Is  _that_ your dog?"

 

"Yeah! Yeah, sorry about that," Yuuri quickly said, crouching down to grab Vicchan and stop him from trying to lick the other dog's face off. "Vicchan's usually better behaved than this."

 

"That's his name? That's adorable!" the man exclaimed, crouching next to his dog, much to Yuuri's surprise. He beamed as he patted the dog's side and said, "This gentleman's name is Makkachin. And yours is?"

 

A little distracted by his smile, it took Yuuri a second to respond. "Yuuri," he said, blushing a little.

 

"I'm Victor," the other man said, holding his hand out for Yuuri to shake.

 

Yuuri took the man's hand, and quietly marveled at how soft it was. Distracted as he was, Vicchan took the opportunity to practically leap at Victor, who easily caught him with a laugh. Yuuri, mortified, exclaimed, "Vicchan! I'm really sorry, he just likes meeting people and dogs." 

 

"Oh, he's fine! And adorable," Victor cooed as Vicchan licked at his face, oblivious to Yuuri's predicament. He turned those blue eyes onto Yuuri, who could feel his face heat up, and then pointed at him. "You've got a bit of leaf next to your eye."

 

"O-oh," Yuuri mumbled, reminded that he probably still looked like a total mess. 

 

They both straightened up, Victor placing Vicchan next to Makkachin and taking a step closer to Yuuri, who inhaled sharply in surprise. "May I?" Victor asked, his hand close to Yuuri's face. Stunned, Yuuri gave him a single nod, and then Victor took his glasses off before his thumb gently grazed the spot above his cheekbone. And he was still blushing. Perfect.

 

But his gaze was still drawn to Victor's face. There were tiny freckles on the bridge of his nose.

 

Smiling in satisfaction, Victor drew his hand away and said, "There we go. Good as new!" Then he took a moment to wipe Yuuri's glasses clean on his cardigan before sliding them back on Yuuri's face.

 

Still stunned, Yuuri had to swallow before quietly saying, "Thanks..."

 

He tried to hide his face by attempting to brush away the grass and dirt all over his front, and then Victor asked with humor, "Is the weather in Chicago always so dangerous?"

 

"You should see it in winter," Yuuri managed to answer, deciding that he'd done his best to clean himself up, even if he still looked like a mess compared to Victor. "Are you new to the city?"

 

"I came on a trip with a friend of mine. She's a photographer," Victor explained, his smile friendly. "We just got here, so we haven't seen much besides that skyline." His gaze turned towards downtown, the famously tall tower still visible in the gloomy weather. "You really can see the tower from here," Victor remarked.

 

"There's a lot to see besides what's downtown. Even in the fall," Yuuri told him, unable to resist smiling at his enthusiasm. "I hope you get a chance to see it all."

 

"I hope so too." Victor turned his smiling face back to his, and Yuuri stood there, utterly stricken. The other man added, "There's really no itinerary for this trip. Well, not on my end, anyway. So anything can happen!"

 

Vicchan's continued excited panting reminded Yuuri of his presence and his own need to change into something clean. Kneeling down to grab Vicchan's leash again, despite his little whine, Yuuri cleared his throat and said, "Well I hope you have a great trip."

 

"Thank you. And you try not to trip on your way home," Victor replied with a smile and a wink.

 

_Oh, God._

 

Smiling back weakly, Yuuri turned and walked off before he could embarrass himself any further, leading Vicchan along.

 

As he put more distance between them, Yuuri's blush refused to go away.

 

 _Anything can happen_.

 

That wink just stayed with him.

 

He glanced down at Vicchan, who was looking a little too satisfied with himself. Yuuri muttered, "You're not off the hook yet, boy." 

 

Vicchan ignored him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and they meet at last! :)
> 
> please comment


	5. Own Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the long wait for this update. work took up all of my spoons.

A week in Chicago and Victor had already lost track of Mila. 

 

A fine state of affairs, really. Two tourists losing track of each other in a new city, one of them sitting in a lone table in a half-full bar with a dead phone.

 

If Mila was trying to get a hold of him, Victor wouldn't know until he actually had a chance to charge his phone.

 

At the moment, though, Victor was caught in that rather dangerous space between drunkeness and exhaustion. It wasn't as if he hadn't had a good time in the past week. There was...honestly a lot to do. He'd covered quite a few of the tourist spots, and even managed two trips to the Art Institute and even beyond to the nearly deserted beach with Makkachin. 

 

A lot of food, a lot of selfies, a lot to take his mind off of things and even provide ample inspiration. 

 

Until he actually sat down and tried to write, and his mind was a total blank. 

 

Which led to him leaving Makkachin in the apartment and finding the nearest bar, which was about two blocks away.

 

He hadn't exactly been sure what his aim was. It wasn't exactly the type of place to pick anyone up. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he even wanted to hook up with anyone. Not because he was pining over his ex, by any means. He just wasn't looking out for anything physical. And Mila would've killed him if he brought anyone into the apartment they were borrowing.

 

Still, Victor wouldn't have minded running into Yuuri again, if only to speak to him and bask in that arresting smile.

 

It seemed rather unlikely at this point. It had been a week since that encounter in the park and Victor hadn't run into him once. 

 

In hindsight, it was Victor's own fault for expecting the attractive man to offer up his phone number. He supposed Yuuri just wasn't interested, which stung a bit. But he was nice, and Victor kept thinking about his smile and his stunning brown eyes. 

 

Staring at his empty beer bottle, Victor let out his 30th sigh of the night, mentally preparing himself for a long while of picturing what might have been. 

 

Anyone else might have called him pathetic, or desperate. Mila generously would have called it loneliness.

 

Victor quietly agreed. 

 

Then again it wasn't his first time battling depression. He supposed that's what he'd been doing ever since his break-up. While a change of scenery was welcome, Victor couldn't exactly avoid such emotions, try as he might (and he'd been trying for a decade). 

 

His chest felt tight with the overwhelming awareness of each passing moment, and the figurative blurriness of everything surrounding him as he pictured the cracks in his heart, either because it was close to shattering or because it already had. Victor couldn't really keep track.

 

He was slightly drunk and depressed and in a foreign country, listening to some late-night talk show on the bar television and surrounded by strangers, on the brink of getting "likesick" over a man who'd gotten him to smile.

 

He wanted to connect with someone. To write. To have inspiration. To do anything and everything he could because there was nothing supposedly stopping him. And he wanted to keep drinking or else go home and sleep it off while he waited for his mood to get better.

 

Movement at the nearby bar caught his attention, and Victor raised his gaze towards it.

 

There he spotted... _God, that was him_.

 

"Yuuri!" Victor called, raising an arm to wave the other man over in a mixture of relief and anticipation, all while wondering why the other man had such a forlorn look on his face.

 

* * *

 

Lone trips to bars weren't unusual for Yuuri. Sometimes Phichit and Chris managed to convince him to join them for a brief night out, which were fun little distractions. When he did let go and drink more than what was advisable and proceed to forget about everything that occurred, and his so-called friends liked keeping precise visual records of Yuuri's drunken antics, such as when he started stripping down in the middle of singing "Wind Beneath My Wings" on karaoke night.

 

So yes, Yuuri was trying to avoid those little scenarios. But one beer wouldn't do him much harm.

 

Sacchan was with Sara, Yuuri having dropped her off a little while ago after spending the entire afternoon with her. He was exhausted, but caught between thinking it was physical or emotional. He just wanted a good thirty minutes for himself before going home, showering, and falling into a nine-hour coma before getting through his weekend. Sara had grandparents visiting from overseas, and they wanted to meet Sacchan. That didn't necessarily mean they wanted to meet Yuuri, though. He guessed they shared Mickey's opinion of him.

 

"Yuuri!" he heard someone call from his right.

 

The voice sounded oddly familiar, though he didn't know why. 

 

Blinking once, Yuuri looked over his shoulder and his heart almost stopped.

 

Oh  _God_ , it was him. Victor.

 

Victor with the gorgeous dog and beautiful blue eyes and amazing silver hair and mind-blowing smile.

 

He was waving at Yuuri, flushed and beaming at him like they were old friends.

 

Yuuri hadn't expected to see the man again, even after taking Vicchan to that same park and sometimes hoping for a single glimpse, even if he was too nervous to approach him. He'd been the same when he met Anthony, his old friend Ketty doing him the favor of introducing him to the other man. 

 

Now there was no wingperson, no easy entry. Just Yuuri, in a bar, staring back at a man who was waving at him in a clear invitation, while his mind was a total blank when it came to what to do next.

 

Well...first thing to do would be to just walk over, right?

 

Swallowing around the lump of nerves in his throat, Yuuri took a step towards him, and then another until he was standing by the table and smiling as best he could at the other man, hoping he wouldn't blush too much or end up a stammering mess. "Hi, Victor," he managed to say, though he was unsure of what exactly to do with his hands and- _oh god, his palms were sweating._  "I didn't expect to run into you here."

 

Victor smiled up at him, friendly and earnest, and Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up traitorously. "I decided to stay close to home this time. I've been all over the place this entire week, it's been exhausting," Victor explained before gesturing to the chair across from him. Yuuri hesitated before sitting down just as Victor added, "You were right, you know."

 

"I was?"

 

Nodding, Victor explained brightly, "There was so much to see, and I don't think I'm even done. I'm a fool for the so-called...tourist traps. I even took one of those selfies everyone takes on the sky deck. It was amazing!" Then Victor rapidly thumbed at his phone screen to show Yuuri the selfie, which featured Victor smiling widely as he lay on that pane of glass with all of downtown Chicago directly underneath him.

 

Yuuri couldn't help smiling at it. "I haven't been up there in ages. Last time I was with my..." He was about to say "daughter," but quickly caught himself and said, "My best friend."

 

It wasn't shame. It was his way of testing the waters, especially after Anthony. Clearing his throat, he asked, "So you're having fun?" Obviously Victor probably wasn't going to visit parks when there was so much else to see. Other places to take his dogs.

 

"I am," Victor said with a soft sigh, regarding Yuuri warmly as he continued to smile. "Can I buy you a drink?"

 

The question was so sudden and Yuuri could feel his cheeks burning. Was Victor flirting? Being friendly? Or maybe just drunk, judging by the row of beers sitting on the edge of the table. "...You don't have to," Yuuri murmured, wanting to curl in on himself and wishing he were better at this. Two failed relationships should've given him enough experience.

 

Then again, there were reasons they were...failed.

 

"Please, I'd be honored to," Victor cajoled, his smile drawing Yuuri's eyes to the softness of his lips.

 

Swallowing again, Yuuri gave in and quietly said, "...A beer, please."

 

As they waited, Victor asked him, "Had a long week?"

 

Yuuri tried to keep the bitterness out of his laugh. "Long couple of months. I came here to sort of...relax and try to look forward to the weekend."

 

Still sober and he was already painting a rather bleak picture of his own life to a guy he'd just met. Victor gave a soft chuckle, asking with the slightest slur to his words, "Sure I'm not interrupting?"

 

"You're fine," Yuuri replied, trying to relax in his seat. "How's your friend's work coming along?" he asked, recalling that Victor hadn't come to Chicago on his own.

 

"Better than mine, that's for sure," Victor said before taking another drink of his beer. "She's taken so many photos, especially after following me around. What about you? What do you do?"

 

"Columnist. Nothing too impressive," Yuuri answered with a shrug.

 

"You write too?" Victor asked, his eyes going wide with surprise.

 

"I do. What about you? Anything I would've read?"

 

"My first book was published in English last year. A mystery story. My second one was more...romantic, ironically," Victor said, some of the brightness leaving his eyes.

 

They were served their beers, and Yuuri took a quick swallow of his as he observed the small change in Victor's demeanor. "What do you mean?"

 

It was a moment before Victor gave a shrug of his own and said with yet another smile, "Let's just say I'm not the same man I was when I wrote that book."

 

"Oh," Yuuri said, a little curious about what that statement meant.

 

But then Victor brightened again and thumbed at his phone once more. "Here, I'll show you all the places I've been to, and you can let me know if I missed anything!"

 

He looked so eager, and so earnest about it that it caught Yuuri off-guard again. "O-okay," Yuuri said, thinking that it was probably because Victor was drunk and looking for company. 

 

Four empty bottles soon joined Victor's over the next ninety minutes, and only one of those bottles was Victor's.

 

Yuuri lost count of how many times he'd giggled at a photo Victor showed him. After they were done with the trip photos they'd moved on to cute pictures of Makkachin, selfies that ranged from dignified to that wide, heart-shaped smile that was so endearing Yuuri couldn't help smiling as wide as he could whenever he saw it. And God, Victor's laugh was addictive. Unrestrained and bright.

 

They'd finally gotten to all the other sights Victor needed to see, Yuuri writing up an untidy list on a napkin. He was underlining the Shakespeare Garden a little more than what was necessary while Victor was nodding and asking, "So it's IN the campus itself?"

 

Yuuri nodded after underlining the words one last time, saying, "Yeah, I used to spend a lot of time there with my girlfriend."

 

It was a moment before Victor said, "Oh. You're with someone?"

 

Then Yuuri's pen ripped through the napkin as he realized with horror what he'd said. Arms flailing for a second as he scrambled for a quick way to fix everything, Yuuri exclaimed, "Ex-girlfriend! She's my ex. Has been for a while!" He wasn't drunk yet, but the buzz wasn't exactly helping his articulation or his vocal filter. "I'm not with anyone right now," he quickly added as he bent down to pick up the pen from the floor, mortified and convinced that he was ruining everything because it was apparently the only thing he was good at.

 

Then Victor smiled at him again, wide and honest as his cheeks turned a brighter pink, and said, "That's good to know. That way I won't feel terrible about asking you to join me one of these days."

 

Yuuri dropped the pen again, staring at Victor and trying to figure out if he actually was drunk despite his high tolerance. Victor probably was, and Yuuri wasn't about to take advantage of that. "...Really?" he asked, wary just in case it really was the beer talking.

 

Victor's gaze never wavered as he looked at Yuuri, his cheek resting on his palm as though he couldn't get enough of the sight of him. Yuuri stopped breathing, realizing that the last time anyone looked at him like that, he'd ended up a father. "Really," Victor said, soft and breathy, his pupils huge and round, softening his blue eyes with heat. "You know I regretted not getting your number that day in the park."

 

Sparks coursed their way up and down Yuuri's spine, battling with the uncertainty in his mind. "...You're serious?"

 

"Completely," Victor said, voice surprisingly firm as he reached over to take Yuuri's hand in his, making Yuuri suck in a surprised breath. "I think you were the first truly friendly face I saw here," he added with a gentle squeeze of Yuuri's hand.

 

Oh God. This was dangerous. Victor was...warm and nice and pretty, especially when he smiled. And either he was flirting or it was a genuine offer, and Yuuri was just terrible at all of this because he was terrible at flirting, and they were both drinking. Was this how hook-ups happened? Or was this supposed to be a hook-up? Did Victor want that? Reminded of their first meeting, Yuuri's face burned hotter and he couldn't help running his other hand over it, muttering with a slight slur, "Come on, that was...embarrassing."

 

"No, it was cute," Victor said, sounding stubborn despite his smile.

 

"Our dogs were cute."

 

"Them too."

 

"Now you're just making fun of me," Yuuri dared to retort, giving the other man a dry look.

 

Victor briefly looked surprised, his smile fading as he kept looking at Yuuri. "Why do you say that?"

 

Yuuri's gaze moved down to their joined hands, thinking back to all the times towards the end of their relationship when he would dare to reach for Anthony's hand and it would feel as though Anthony weren't even there, his hand limp in Yuuri's. He remembered the anxiety that followed that realization, the feeling that his touch wasn't welcome, and maybe he should've taken it as a sign that something was going on. That Anthony didn't want _him_. "...Because I'm not..." He trailed off, not knowing what the answer was. Not when he didn't want to hear Anthony's answer, knowing it would confirm his worst fears, that it was Yuuri's fault for not being passionate or confident enough, for being so meek and anxious, for being shy...

 

"Not what? Adorable?" Victor asked after a moment, squeezing Yuuri's hand and peering at him like he was trying to draw his gaze again. "Attractive?"

 

Yuuri bit his lip, his mind hungry for those words. "...It's kind of hard to take any of that seriously after getting dumped," he confessed, buzzed enough that his tongue was sufficiently loosened up that he could actually share it with Victor.

 

A moment passed before Victor asked softly, "By your ex-girlfriend?"

 

Yuuri let out another bitter laugh. "Not her. And not dumped exactly. I mean...she and I broke up and it was...okay. This was my ex-boyfriend, and...he didn't even dump me, he just...cheated on me."

 

He heard Victor's sharp inhale and felt the surprise in his grip as it briefly tightened. "Yuuri, I'm sorry."

 

Everyone was sorry. Everyone sympathized and was angry on his behalf. Everyone wondered how anyone could do such a thing, and yet so many people just...went and did it. Even those who questioned it. "You didn't do anything, Victor," Yuuri murmured, feeling pathetic and that all of his flaws were out in the open for Victor to see.

 

"Still, no one deserves that. It's...it's terrible."

 

Shaking his head, Yuuri said, "I don't know, I just...It was probably my fault. There had to be a reason, right?"

 

He looked up at Victor, who was frowning and shaking his head, now holding on to Yuuri's hand between both of his. "He had his own reasons for cheating. Stupid ones, for sure. But it's not your fault. Your deserve to be treated well, to have a wonderful love story."

 

Yuuri didn't know where the lump in his throat came from. "I don't know," he murmured, voice tight with tears he didn't want to shed in front of Victor. "God, you're supposed to be the leading man in your own life, but...I feel like a side character, like the REAL main character's friend, or...or father..." Satomi was the one who deserved her own story, a wonderful story, one that Yuuri would've been happy to see even from the sidelines. That would make him happy.

 

Victor laughed again and said, "Well, you're not exactly old enough to be anyone's father, at least."

 

"Thanks," Yuuri muttered, shame crawling up his back at the thought of his big omission.

 

"But seriously," Victor began, squeezing Yuuri's hand between his and giving him a surprisingly steady look. "I know how you feel, and I know that I should be taking my own advice. I just got out of a...very unhappy relationship recently," he said, catching Yuuri by surprise. "It's part of the reason why I'm here. To maybe...recover myself. That might not make much sense," he added sheepishly.

 

"It makes perfect sense," Yuuri said, fingers finally squeezing around Victor's, hoping he could give some small comfort.

 

Victor was silent for a moment before he asked Yuuri, "...Have you recovered yourself?"

 

Yuuri's heart gave a hard pound at that. "...I'm trying to," he replied softly, realizing how he was still picking up pieces of himself, trying to cope with the fact that he'd lost Anthony and hadn't even realized it, that the people he was interested in weren't necessarily eager to be involved with Satomi. 

 

Maybe Victor wasn't.

 

Nodding slowly, Victor gave him another understanding smile. "...I should go back home. My phone's been dead for hours and Makkachin shouldn't sleep alone."

 

Over that quick. Every part of Yuuri felt raw and exposed, but he didn't really want the night to end there. But they were drunk, and maybe whatever Victor was feeling wouldn't last beyond tonight. "Yeah, I should go too," Yuuri said, trying to keep smiling as he got up.

 

Once outside Yuuri thought they'd have their goodbye at the door and go their separate ways. Then he found himself walking in the same direction as Victor, who was determinedly brushing their arms together. "You're heading this way too?" Yuuri asked him, trying not to trip over his own feet as he looked up at Victor. He'd forgotten how tall the other man was.

 

"It's where my building is, yes," Victor replied with a soft laugh. "So, with all that said...would you still like to join me one of these days?"

 

Yuuri nearly did trip, catching himself in time and gaping at Victor in surprise. "After I basically unloaded on you about my crappy love life?"

 

"Precisely," Victor said, his gaze bright and earnest yet again.

 

Anthony was the one to offer up his number, writing it on Yuuri's palm without a word after they first met. Yuuri had no clue how people just...did that, whether the other person called back or not. "...Can I have your number?" Yuuri blurted out, determinedly staring at the sidewalk as his cheeks burned. "I'm free from tomorrow night at six."

 

It was probably the buzz talking. Had to be it. He'd wake up sober in the morning and wish he'd actually gotten drunk enough to forget everything.

 

Then Victor drew them both to a stop, eyes glowing with a happiness Yuuri wasn't expecting. "That's perfect," he said before reaching into his pocket and retrieving the napkin Yuuri had written his list on, ripping a blank section of it and laying it flat on his palm to write out his number while Yuuri anxiously watched. He handed it to Yuuri, beaming at him and oblivious to how frantically the black-haired man's heart was beating.

 

Yuuri quickly pocketed the number, his shaky exhale visible in the cold night air. He'd actually done it.

 

A block later they were at Yuuri's building, and Victor was looking at it with utter surprise before asking, "...Are we neighbors? I'm staying right over there..."

 

Yuuri stared at Victor and then at the next building over, his stomach flipping as he realized that they'd been next-door to each other the whole time. "Oh my God, we are..."

 

They both laughed, Yuuri breathless with mirth and amazement at everything that had happened. God, he hoped this wasn't all just the beer. He wanted Victor to like him, and...he wanted to tell Victor the truth and hear Victor tell him that he loved kids, that he'd love Satomi.

 

But that wasn't fair. Not to Anthony. Not to Victor.

 

"Goodnight, Yuuri," Victor said, reaching to give Yuuri's hand another squeeze.

 

"You too. Goodnight," Yuuri said quietly.

 

He watched Victor until he walked through the door of his building, and then made his way inside to get to his own apartment.

 

He was on the verge of starting something, and caught between fear and anticipation. He wanted morning to come and bring him the answers he wanted, to know if Victor honestly meant what he said, that he wanted to spend time with Yuuri.

 

He looked at the bit of napkin in his hand, seeing that Victor had written out his name in a tight little scribble underneath his phone number. Victor Nikiforov.

 

Morning needed to come and end his misery. 

 

In the meantime, Yuuri saved the number to his phone and took several deep breaths.

 

Anything could happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment!


	6. Soundtrack

Once he hung up with Sara and Satomi, Yuuri placed his phone back on his desk and rubbed at his temples. He wasn't quite hungover and he did recall the unexpected events of the night before with near-perfect clarity, which was only because Yuuri had spent a decent chunk of the night going over the whole thing in his head.

 

Victor Nikiforov.

 

He still had the torn off piece of napkin with his name and phone number on it.

 

He'd saved it to his phone and was almost tempted to send him a "good morning" text, but immediately had second thoughts about it. Yuuri didn't want to inadvertently annoy the man or scare him away.

 

This was scary enough already.

 

Yuuri wasn't exactly sure how to approach the possibility of a new relationship. He was over Anthony but not necessarily over the hurt. For all of Victor's friendliness, he clearly valued his freedom and...maybe he didn't want kids yet. 

 

And yet Yuuri didn't want to cut the whole thing off before knowing if he actually stood a chance with Victor. And ghosting him would be both rude and futile since...well, they were neighbors.

 

So, without a set plan in mind, Yuuri decided he'd go through with...whatever tonight was supposed to be. A date, night out...hook-up. God, did he even still have lube and condoms in his drawer? Would Victor even be interested in sex with him?

 

Rationally, Yuuri was aware that he knew what he was doing in bed with Anthony, who'd never had any...well...verbal complaints, at least, and  _that_ line of thinking made several unpleasant doubts spring up in his brain because maybe he was actually hopeless in that regard, and Victor would be so disappointed-

 

A sharp bark from Vicchan had Yuuri jolting in his chair and out of his thoughts. He turned to find Vicchan sitting on his unmade bed, head tipped to the side as he observed Yuuri having a silent mental breakdown.

 

Yuuri exhaled shakily and turned back to his laptop, giving the contents of the email one last read before sending it to Christophe and Phichit. At least he'd made good use of the morning, which meant he'd have time to panic before meeting up with Victor that evening. He wondered just how in the hell he was supposed to bring up Satomi, because he'd have to tell Victor eventually. Soon. In all fairness it was probably the first thing Yuuri should tell him when they saw each other.

 

Eyeing the scribbled-on napkin again, Yuuri thought of everything Victor had shared with him, remembering that they were both in that state of trying to figure things out after ending a relationship. 

 

And he was an author. With a book recently translated into English.

 

Curious, Yuuri typed Victor's name in the search bar.

 

An hour later Yuuri was already deep into Victor's book on his phone, rather...impressed. 

 

It was a mystery story alright, but it hadn't begun with the usual violent murder of a beautiful young woman, and the main character was both gay and in a happy relationship with a loving partner. A quick peek at spoilers let Yuuri know that neither of the men died at the end, fortunately.

 

It was engrossing and funny at the right times, and Yuuri wished there was a way for him to instantly learn Russian so he could read it the way Victor had written it because there had to be things that were lost in translation, and the words would be the ones Victor chose specifically.

 

Yuuri shook his head, realizing he was getting worked up over a book. But it was a great book, one that had earned Victor plenty of fans both in Russia and abroad. In the middle of all his personal crises and fatherhood, Yuuri had missed it. 

 

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Yuuri thumbed over to his messenger and decided he needed to break the ice somehow, and he couldn't depend on alcohol to keep doing it for him.

 

**YUURI:**

**I'm reading your book**

**Within the Willows**

**I can't believe I haven't heard of it. It's amazing. I've been reading for an hour.**

 

**VICTOR:**

**oh my god**

**You really like it? :D**

**YUURI:**

**I love it**

**Last night you mentioned that your second book was more romantic.**

**Meanwhile you've got domestic fluff all over the place here with Ivan and Erik.**

 

**VICTOR:**

**I do don't I? :P**

 

**YUURI:**

**NOT THAT IT'S BAD**

**It's one of the best parts of the story!**

**They're both so fleshed out and their relationship is amazing.**

 

**VICTOR:**

**I've had fans asking for a sequel.**

**and honestly I'd love to work on one.**

**but well you know that sad story**

 

**YUURI:**

**Right**

**You don't have to feel pressured by anyone**

**Least of all me. Especially since I've just started reading it.**

 

**VICTOR:**

**what would you like to see in a sequel?**

 

**YUURI:**

**ME?**

**I'd love to see if Ivan and Erik get to be happy for the rest of their lives**

**VICTOR:**

**I always intended that for them**

**Even now :)**

 

**YUURI:**

**Your secret's safe with me**

**So any idea what you'd like to do tonight?**

 

**VICTOR:**

**I think I'll follow your lead ;)**

**after all you haven't steered me wrong**

 

**YUURI:**

**Have you been to Navy Pier yet?**

 

**VICTOR:**

**NO! Not yet!!**

**want to bring the dogs with us?**

 

**YUURI:**

**That sounds perfect**

**Meet you outside your building later? I'll drive**

**VICTOR:**

**perfect!**

**see you then ;)**

 

Yuuri blew out a shaky breath, staring at the conversation and willing himself to believe that it had happened, and that the rest of today  _would_ happen.

 

Phichit was always urging him to think positively, and visualize good outcomes.

 

Then he visualized the goldfish crackers scattered on the floor of his car, left over from an afternoon drive with Satomi in the backseat. " _Crap!"_ Yuuri exclaimed as he ran out the door, grabbing a garbage bag on the way out. 

 

* * *

 

Yuuri was pretty sure he hadn't laughed or smiled so much in months.

 

He should have been exhausted, just like the dogs were, but Yuuri found himself in possession of an impressive amount of energy after an entire afternoon with Victor, who looked as though they were barely getting started.

 

Most of the afternoon had been spent in Millenium Park and Navy Pier, the two of them led by their curious dogs all around the pier as Victor stared at the boats and cruise ships in total fascination, taking every opportunity to pause and take selfies with either a ship in the background or the lake itself.

 

It was just too bad they had to miss out on the ferris wheel, but at least there was still a great view from the ground, especially when the sun started to set and the golden light shone on the distant glass of the skyscrapers. 

 

Victor's eyes, dusted in that same gold, beheld the sight in a sort of reverent silence, not even taking out his phone to try and capture it.

 

For all his smiles, Yuuri never thought that Victor was exaggerating. Maybe the man just enjoyed things  _that_ much, and was that curious.

 

"I still can't believe you've got a total of twenty selfies from the Bean," Yuuri commented as he continued driving west, away from downtown and back to their buildings. 

 

"I needed ones with you, didn't I?" Victor asked, smiling widely as he reviewed each image on his phone. Yuuri glanced at him in time to see his gaze softening at one of both of them, throwing up peace signs in front of the giant ferris wheel. "I had an amazing time!" Victor added cheerily, looking like he wished it wouldn't end.

 

"I'm pretty sure you did, judging by all those souvenirs," Yuuri replied, feeling considerably warm even as he glanced at the rearview mirror, showing the dogs curled up in the backseat among the half-dozen bags of souvenirs Victor had bought. 

 

"I like remembering the places I've been to," Victor replied with a little pout that made Yuuri's heart give a hard thud. "Besides, one can never have enough snow globes with ferris wheels in them."

 

Yuuri let out another laugh, a mixture of nervousness and excitement racing through him at the thought of what would happen once they got home. He really wanted to invite Victor over, but wasn't sure how the invitation would be taken. Phichit and Chris would warn him that he was overthinking the whole thing, but it wasn't as though he was used to...whatever this was. While he would not object to spending the night with the other man, the actual lead-up to that was terra incognita. 

 

Clearing his throat, Yuuri glanced at Victor again, hoping to God his voice wouldn't crack when he finally did dare to ask...whatever the hell it was he wanted to ask. "So...any other plans for tonight?"

 

There was only the briefest moment of silence that felt like a thousand years to Yuuri, but he looked right at the road ahead, moments away from rounding the corner to park next to his building while silently panicking, and then Victor answered steadily, "No. Nothing else."

 

Yuuri tried not to suck in an excited breath like he wanted to, not wanting to give himself away. Was he actually going to do this? Anthony had taken the lead their first time together, and all Yuuri felt beyond the satisfaction was some strange kind of gratitude that everything was taken out of his hands, losing himself for once as an attractive man straddled him until they were both spent. "Good," he said, his face turning red at the thought of taking Victor up to his apartment, of kissing those soft-looking lips and getting a good look at him under all those layers of clothing. 

 

And he could feel Victor's eyes on him. Fortunately that didn't cause Yuuri to flip the car over when he made the turn, parking his car and wondering how else to ask. He kept clutching the steering wheel with one hand as he turned off the ignition, swallowing anxiously before turning around to look at Victor.

 

"I-"

 

And then Yuuri froze when he saw Phichit staring right at him from outside the passenger-side window, knocking on the glass and making Victor jump in surprise. " _Yuuri!_ There you are!" he called cheerily before looking over his shoulder. " _Chris! He's here! And he's with someone!"_

 

Yuuri barely stifled a groan as he let his forehead hit the steering wheel as he heard the dogs barking excitedly. 

 

Once they were all out of the car Phichit and Christophe descended upon Victor with ill-contained curiosity.

 

"Yuuri, what have you been getting up to?" Christophe asked as he took Victor's hand to give it several shakes. "Aren't you a lovely sight? Has Yuuri been hiding you?"

 

Victor smiled back easily, replying, "Not so much, if he's taken me out to see the city. My name is Victor."

 

"Christophe, and this is Phichit. We're friends of Yuuri's."

 

Phichit's dark eyes honed in on Yuuri, who was blushing hotly as he held both leashes in his hands. "Yuuri, why didn't you tell us you met someone?!" he hissed.

 

Yuuri stared back at him, unable to find neither his voice or the right words. It was true, he'd kept Victor to himself over the past week, mostly because it had all seemed so unlikely. He hadn't even told Sara.

 

His hands on Victor's shoulders, Christophe was grinning excitedly as he said, "We came here to see if Yuuri wanted to go out for drinks and karaoke, but you're welcome to come, Victor! What do you say?"

 

As soon as Victor looked at him, Yuuri immediately replied in a rush, "Yeah! Good idea! L-let's all go out!" His smile felt a little too wide, like his nerves were written right on his face.

 

Victor blinked at him owlishly before smiling and nodding at Christophe. "Sounds like fun. I'll tag along if you'll have me."

 

Yuuri smiled back at him, his heart still racing and his palms sweating as he held on to the leashes. 

 

* * *

 

Phichit volunteered to drive them to and from the bar, and was sipping a coke through a straw while sitting at the table with Yuuri, who was nursing a beer as they watched Victor and Christophe sing a lively duet of "Under Pressure."

 

He'd texted Sara to let her know where he was, getting an update on hers and Satomi's day with their relatives within two minutes. It sounded like Satomi was bored out of her mind, wishing she were with Vicchan instead.

 

Putting his phone away, Yuuri turned to keep looking at Victor, who already looked a little flushed from all his and Christophe's drinking, to the point where he'd been practically hanging off of Yuuri's shoulders and laughing boisterously, his smile wide and happy. Then he and Christophe went off to the stage as soon as their turn to sing came up.

 

"Please tell me we didn't cockblock you," Phichit asked, leaning in towards Yuuri and looking chagrined. 

 

Yuuri looked at him, smirking a little. "Okay, I won't."

 

Phichit groaned and hid his face in his hand. "Why didn't you just tell us to fuck off and drag Victor up to your apartment?! You could be having mind-blowing sex right now!"

 

After thanking his stars that the music and drunk crowd were loud enough that no one could hear Phichit, Yuuri replied with a flushed face, "I got nervous! It's just...I'm not...good at this like you guys are. I still can't believe someone like him is even interested in me!" He'd gotten Phichit caught up on how he and Victor met during the drive over while Christophe was gushing over, as he discovered, one of his favorite authors, and even then it felt so unbelievable. "I even re-read his texts sometimes to remind myself that this is actually happening to _me_." 

 

Phichit gave him a smile that was mildly sympathetic. "Glad to see you're using your phone for something other than texting me and reading raunchy books and fanfics." He took another long sip of his coke and raised his phone to take a photo of the two men harmonizing up on stage. "So...how'd he react to you being a dad?"

 

Yuuri choked on his beer, his face turning redder as he was reminded of that glaring omission. 

 

He could only stare back at Phichit, whose face fell as he read the look on his face. " _Yuuri!"_ he exclaimed, looking shocked.

 

"I know! I know," Yuuri groaned, looking down in shame.

 

"She's your phone background!" 

 

"Which is why I don't let Victor look at my phone!" Yuuri shot back. The song ended and Victor and Chris were enjoying the laughter and applause from their drunken audience. Yuuri looked at Victor, at the dazzling smile on his face as he and Christophe leaned on each other in an effort to stay upright. "Look...I'm going to tell him, I just...I want this to last as long as possible."

 

"What makes you think it won't?" Phichit asked as the noise died down before Victor and Christophe's next song started.

 

"Well...look at him!" Yuuri answered, weakly returning Victor's enthusiastic wave in his direction. "He's on a trip from Russia. He's doing what he wants. He's completely free, and maybe he doesn't want kids! Look what happened with Anthony! I had baggage and he...ran off and started making out with other people in public." He took another long drink of his beer at the bitter reminder.

 

"I wish I could kill that fucker," he heard Phichit mutter right before the opening best to "Africa" started playing. He put a hand on Yuuri's shoulder, the weight of it midly calming. "Look, you can't just...keep this part of yourself hidden forever. It's not fair to you, or Victor,  _or_ Satomi. Give Victor a chance. And if he has an issue, I'll kick his ass back to Russia."

 

Yuuri laughed weakly and shook his head. "I don't want him to leave." He surprised even himself with the admission, his heart aching at the thought. Sighing as he heard Victor's slurred singing, he asked, "God, why do I have to keep falling so fast?"

 

"Because you're a romantic," Phichit informed him with a squeeze of his shoulder. "An anxious romantic. Look, I'll order some tequila shots and you'll drink one to give you just enough liquid courage to just...come out and say it. 'I'm a DAD.'"

 

Yuuri shook his head again, feeling pathetic. "This is a terrible idea. He's going to run away and I'm never going to see him again."

 

"You'll never know until you drink and let the truth set you free," Phichit said sagely.

 

"That's not how either of those sayings go," Yuuri said, eyeing him uncertainly while hoping that he'd find the moment after their outing to just tell the truth and maybe still keep Victor's attention.

 

* * *

 

" _JEALOUSY! TURNING SAINTS INTO THE SEA! SWIMMING THROUGH SICK LULLABIES! CHOKING ON YOUR ALIBIS! BUT IT'S JUST THE PRICE I PAY! DESTINY IS CALLING ME...!"_

 

Yuuri was scream-singing, and Victor was looking right at him. Especially at the way he swayed those gorgeous hips of his in those jeans. "Wow," Victor repeated, barely hearing his own voice beneath all the cheers and clapping from the other patrons.

 

"Yeah. Wow. Coward," he heard Phichit mutter before giving his coke an angry-sounding sip.

 

That confused Victor, because Yuuri did  _not_ look like a coward at the moment. He looked incredibly drunk, flushed from the forehead down to his chest, which was only visible because he'd unbuttoned his shirt a few moments before.

 

He'd been making his way through a few tequila shots, and eventually drunkenly declared that he was going up on stage to sing. Phichit seemed increasingly dismayed with each shot, telling Yuuri to slow down and remember something...important. Wearing a wide grin, Yuuri ignored him and kept drinking shots with Victor and Christophe. It was his third song, and everyone seemed to be entertained as they watched Yuuri perform with an enthusiasm and passion he'd kept well-hidden. 

 

Victor, meanwhile, was losing his mind, forgetting all about the drink in his hand and practically hypnotized by the sight of Yuuri on stage.

 

Christophe, having heard Phichit's comment, slurred, "What do you mean? He's giving everyone here a striptease!  _Merde_ , this place needs a pole. Remember that pole-dancing class we took? We'd put on a real show, then."

 

Victor immediately turned to look at Christophe, the blush on his face undoubtedly intensifying as he asked, "You guys...took a pole-dancing class?"

 

" _They_ took a class. I saved up for hamster supplies," Phichit replied sardonically, chewing on his straw before his eyes went wide. " _Fuck_ my life, are they throwing cash!?" 

 

Victor turned back to see Yuuri sticking a green bill in his pocket as he laughed and the song came to an end, and Yuuri's smile was wide and happy as he held on to the microphone stand, his legs looking rather unsteady. Christophe snorted at the sight, elbowing a gaping Phichit and asking, "Want to go rescue him and get him back home?"

 

"I'll go," Victor suddenly said, quickly getting to his feet and swaying slightly before making his way through the tables full of people who couldn't get enough of Yuuri, who was grinning almost enticingly.

 

And Victor only had eyes for him, his mouth gone dry. Whether reserved or outgoing, Yuuri just kept drawing him in, and he'd been doing it the whole day, leading him on their sightseeing and indulging Victor.

 

Yuuri caught sight of him, and Victor could swear those brown eyes sparkled. The younger man reached a hand out towards him, his smile so bright Victor had to blink, and he shouted right into the mic, _"VICTOR! VICTOR, COME UP HERE!"_

 

People around them clapped and whistled, clamoring for an encore, while Victor just stared at Yuuri, the buzz in his brain only leaving enough room for the man on stage who looked ready to just tug Victor up there with one pull.

 

And then those gorgeous legs suddenly tangled up and Yuuri plummeted forward, right into Victor's arms.

 

More whistles started up as Victor wrapped his arms securely around Yuuri, losing his breath at the feel of the other man's body against his. Those brown eyes, still so bright behind his glasses, sparkled with mirth as Yuuri looked up at him, chin resting against Victor's chest. "Oops," Yuuri said with a drunken grin, his hands scrambling up Victor's back.

 

Victor's mouth went dry at the sensation, and he realized he was in  _so much_ trouble. Especially if he was already imagining how those hands would feel on his bare back. 

 

"...I've got to take you home," Victor said softly, all the blood flow to his brain severely interrupted. 

 

Yuuri's eyes widened and he exhaled shakily. "Yeah," he breathed, regaining his footing and holding on to Victor. "Yeah, take me home."

 

Suddenly Yuuri was yanking Victor behind him as he sped them through all the tables.

 

Victor found himself outside the bar, a rush of cool autumn air hitting him like a slap on the face as Yuuri kept pulling him along.

 

But Phichit was there too, looking thoroughly unamused as he put himself between Yuuri and...whatever destination he'd had planned. "In the car with you, Yuuri," he sighed, taking Yuuri by the shoulder and leading him towards his car, where Christophe had already dozed off in the passenger seat.

 

Victor tried not to feel too dismayed as Phichit herded them into the backseat, tersely reminding them, "Behave guys. I like my backseat clean."

 

Victor may have mumbled something in Russian, which had Yuuri giggling as he grabbed Victor's hand. 

 

Victor just smiled like a fool the whole ride home, never letting go of Yuuri's hand.

 

Much to his regret they soon pulled up to the buildings, and Victor was stumbling out of the car after Yuuri, suddenly eager for his bed even if Yuuri wasn't necessarily going to be in it.

 

Yuuri, however, seemed to have other ideas, grabbing Victor and tugging him towards his building. "Vic _tor_...! Victor, come up with me. I gotta tell you something," he slurred, his glasses sliding down his nose.

 

Then Phichit came between them again, drawing Yuuri's hand away and firmly saying, "Nope. No, you're going up and going to bed  _alone_. Come on, take your keys out. God, what the _hell_ was I thinking..." 

 

"No, no, Victor has to come up with me!" Yuuri insisted as Phichit led him away.

 

Victor chuckled as he started to make his way to his own door, trying not to trip on the grass. "Go to bed, Yuusha. Trust me, it won't be the last time we see each other."

 

"Promise?" Yuuri asked, no longer fighting Phichit's grip.

 

"On my life."

 

Yuuri's answering smile was dazzling. "Okay. Okay, 'cause I've got a million things to tell you. It's so important-"

 

Phichit then exclaimed, "O _KAY!_ You've got to be quiet and go up now. Come on, big guy." He manhandled Yuuri all the way up to the doorway, settling him there before quickly running back go Victor, a worried look on his face. "He'll call you tomorrow, okay? Look, just...tell me if you still like him, okay? Because tomorrow he's gonna wake up and he's gonna forget all about tonight, and I think that's going to be worse than knowing exactly what he did and said."

 

Victor stared at Phichit in bewilderment. Hadn't he been so obvious? "Of course I still like him. I don't want tonight to end," he added with a wistful look at the man slumped against the door.

 

"Good. Good, because...He really likes you," Phichit told him, looking relieved.

 

 

And Victor felt relief, his heart racing.

 

He didn't enter his building until Phichit got Yuuri inside, and walked in a daze after closing the door and surrounding himself in quiet, his ears starting to ring. 

 

Makkachin greeted him joyously when he walked into the apartment, and to his surprise Mila was sitting on the couch, her laptop open. She glanced up at him with a wave, saying, "Hey! How was karaoke? Did you scare everyone with your singing?"

 

Victor made his way over to the couch and sat down heavily next to her, his heart still going out of control as he confessed, "Mila, I think I have a crush."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three cheers for Phichit for wrangling everybody.
> 
> I need a karaoke night.
> 
> Please comment!


	7. Dramatic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments!!

The first thing Yuuri did when he woke up was moan in agony as pain flared in every joint and every inch of his head. He remembered that one of Satomi's favored ways of entertaining herself as a baby was banging the walls with her building blocks, which was the best way Yuuri could imagine his pounding headache.

 

Second he scrambled out of bed and ran into the bathroom to puke into the toilet, leaving Vicchan sitting on the bed staring after him. 

 

 _Everything_ hurt and Yuuri was pretty sure he was dying. The feeling became even worse when he realized that he remembered absolutely nothing about the night before. The very last thing he remembered was words, just words on the tip of his tongue right before he went quiet again and took yet another shot of tequila, his memory going blank at the point where he and Victor started chortling together over something meaningless.

 

After brushing his teeth and swishing his mouth out with several sips of mouthwash, Yuuri hurriedly went over to his phone, dread building in his stomach as he slid his thumb across the screen.

 

11:49 am

 

Late, for him at least.

 

Two missed calls from Sara, one in the last fifteen minutes. God, and Sacchan was meant to spend the night.

 

A text from Victor from an hour ago.

 

**VICTOR:**

**Good morning, handsome! Still alive? ;P**

 

Yuuri felt only a moment's relief as he read it, only to immediately feel nervous again at the sight of that emoji because  _what did Victor mean by it?!_ What in God's name had Yuuri done and was it on social media, to be spread around and eventually float up to the surface at some inopportune time in the future when it could cause Satomi endless embarrassment?

 

And why the hell was there a fifty dollar bill in his back pocket?

 

Ah. And he had a handful of calls from Phichit.

 

First things first: Yuuri sat down on his bed and texted Sara.

 

 **YUURI** **:**

**I'm awake!!! Sorry for not answering earlier. Still sleeping. Call me later?**

 

Then he typed a quick reply to Victor, hoping it sounded more relaxed than he was currently feeling.

 

**YUURI:**

**Haha yeah, I'm still alive. :)**

 

Then he called Phichit.

 

His friend answered on the third ring, and Yuuri had to bite back a groan when he heard Phichit greet  _loudly, "GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE!"_

 

"Not so loud," Yuuri groaned, his head pounding violently. Vicchan kept butting his arm with his head, trying to regain his attention. Sparing him a glance, Yuuri felt like the worst dog parent. No doubt there'd be a mess in the kitchen, but he could deal with it later, and shower. Definitely shower because Sara probably wanted to bring Satomi over and he needed to  _not_ be a total mess. "Phichit, why is there a fifty dollar bill in my pocket?"

 

_"FIFTY?! What a cheapskate, I thought that guy threw a hundred!"_

 

"PHICHIT!"

 

_"Okay, okay. Are you sitting down?"_

 

"...Yes? Why?"

 

_"Just trust me when I tell you that it's not as bad as you're thinking..."_

 

Minutes later when Phichit was finished with the whole sordid tale, Yuuri was just about ready to cry from embarrassment. He'd done it again, he'd gotten blackout drunk on tequila and started stripping on stage, his grand performance ending when he tripped and fell into Victor's arms, apparently ready to pull the man into bed if it weren't for Phichit making sure his three drunk companions didn't do anything stupid.

 

"I can't believe this," he moaned as he tossed the mess in the kitchen into the garbage can, stepping into the bathroom to wash his hands, avoiding looking at himself in the mirror. "I just...I wanted to  _tell_ him, I didn't want to make a total ass of myself!"

 

_"Come on, you should've seen the look on his face. The man **wants** you, and he even told me so! Yeah, you...didn't exactly tell him anything about Satomi, but at least we know he likes you!"_

 

Yuuri found that hard to believe. Anthony used to describe him as an...intense drunk, and Yuuri had taken the word to heart. It seemed that every thing Anthony did and said would keep following Yuuri, as much as he hated it. "I mean...he did text me this morning, and I replied. I should probably head over to his place and apologize."

 

_"Apologize for what? Showing him a good time?"_

 

"For...being intense," Yuuri responded grimly. "Talk to you later?"

 

_"Yeah, of course. Look, try not to worry so much. It's really not as bad as you think it is. Trust me."_

 

Once he said his goodbyes and hung up, Yuuri really wished he could trust that easily. But it just wasn't that easy. It never was, especially not after trusting Anthony and catching him with someone else.

 

He fed Vicchan and showered thoroughly, dressing up in fresh clothes and taking a long drink of water to rehydrate. He didn't have much of an appetite, especially not when he was about to do something so risky and potentially heartbreaking.

 

_Well, you should've thought of that before you got together with Anthony._

 

After making sure he looked better than when he'd crawled out of bed looking like a bridge troll, Yuuri picked up his phone again. Curious, he tried to find some sort of evidence from the night before, but found nothing. Phichit had told him that Christophe had taken plenty of video and photos, so he'd eventually have to bring himself to ask the other man to see the damning images.

 

He took a deep breath and sent another text Victor's way.

 

**YUURI:**

**Is it okay if I come over?**

 

The reply was almost immediate.

 

**VICTOR:**

**yes!!!! ring for apt 5!**

 

Well, it was...a better response than he'd anticipated. Victor seemed almost excited rather than annoyed, which made Yuuri feel a little bit better.

 

He leashed Vicchan for the sake of taking him out and letting him play with Makkachin again, and he tried to ignore the little flips his stomach was doing as he left his apartment and made his way across the lawn towards the building where Victor and his friend were staying.

 

Once inside the building he picked Vicchan up, gently shushing him as he yipped excitedly. Yuuri soon found himself in front of the door marked with a gold-colored "5" and wondered if he should call or knock...

 

Vicchan barked sharply, and a few seconds later the door opened.

 

A pretty red-head stood on the other side, looking Yuuri over and giving him a wide, friendly smile. "So  _you're_ Yuuri! Come on in!" she exclaimed, tugging Yuuri inside.

 

Flustered, Yuuri didn't notice Makkachin practically barreling towards him until Vicchan leaped out of his arms and met the bigger poodle, the pair of dogs reduced to a flurry of friendly sniffs and licks. His mood somewhat bolstered by the sight, Yuuri turned to look at the young woman again, smiling at her nervously. "And you're Mila. It's nice to meet you."

 

" _Yuuri!"_ he heard Victor call from within, and Yuuri's heart beat  _bolted_ into a goddamn run, his face unbearably warm at the thought of seeing Victor again after...last night. Mila, still beaming from ear to ear, led him further in, where Victor was walking away from the kitchen sink, his forearms soapy as he stood there with a delighted smile as soon as he spotted Yuuri, who stopped breathing for a second because Victor had been drunk too, and he looked absolutely perfect in a black shirt and dark blue jeans that looked painted on. "It's so good to see you again! Did you wake up alright or were you horrendously hungover?"

 

God, he was blunt too.

 

Clearing his throat and wishing he weren't blushing so much, Yuuri said, "I was...a little bit hungover," he admitted in a low tone. "What about you?"

 

"Ah, only a little bit thanks to Mila feeding me her leftover takeout last night," Victor replied, appearing to remember that his hands were a mess. Laughing sheepishly, he went back to the sink to grab a paper towel to dry off. "I was washing up our breakfast plates. We made a meal out of McDonald's breakfast."

 

"After he begged  _me_  to go get it," Mila put in dryly, kneeling on the floor to scratch at Vicchan's belly. She got back up and went to pick up a heavy-looking backpack that sat on the couch, and turned to call over her shoulder, "Hey, I'm leaving! I'll pick up some dinner on the way back!"

 

Victor waved at her as he threw away the towel, and Mila turned back to Yuuri and said, "It was really nice to finally meet you. Vitya won't stop talking about you, drunk or sober!"

 

Then she flitted away with a giggle while Yuuri stared after her, mouth agape and still blushing. 

 

Once she was gone Victor yet again made his way towards Yuuri, his smile soft and his voice gentle as he asked, "How are you, really? You really...exerted yourself last night."

 

Yuuri bit his lip and looked down, his embarrassment flaring up as he wished he could remember what he'd done and said. Swallowing and trying to keep his breathing steady, he said, "I...wanted to apologize for making you uncomfortable last night."

 

"What do you mean? I wasn't uncomfortable," Victor replied, sounding confused.

 

"I mean...Phichit told me what happened because...I don't remember any of it," he confessed, still looking at the floor between them, hands clenching at his sides. "I probably looked stupid last night, and I was probably embarrassing, and...the last thing I want to do is embarrass you, so I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to see me a-"

 

He felt Victor's hand on his cheek, and looked up at him in surprise right before feeling those soft, plush lips on his, effectively shutting him up and making his arms go completely limp at his sides.

 

It was soft, a gentle press as he took in just how soft Victor's lips were after thinking about them for days, forgetting to close his eyes and looking at the way Victor's silver lashes brushed against his cheeks. Yuuri's eyes remained wide open as Victor drew away, his blue eyes pretty and bright as he held Yuuri's face in his hand.

 

"I wasn't embarrassed. Not by you," Victor said, his voice still so warm and soft as he stroked Yuuri's cheek, the touch of his fingers, soothingly cool. "The only thing that would've embarrassed me was the fact that I was ready to jump you in front of all those people."

 

Yuuri felt his jaw drop. "You what."

 

"I'm serious," Victor said, his eyes alight as he brought up his other hand to frame Yuuri's face between them. "You were amazing last night, and you didn't even get to take your clothes off all the way. "

 

Yuuri's blush intensified at the reminder that he'd put on such a display in front of so many people. But he seized on Victor's words, desperate and relieved, his heart beating tremendously hard and his lips yearning for the feeling of Victor's again. "So...you're saying..."

 

Victor smiled and playfully squeezed Yuuri's cheeks. "I'm saying I would love to go on seeing you. Especially if it means more days like yesterday, and I don't just mean getting drunk and having a gorgeous man fall into my arms after giving the performance of a lifetime."

 

It felt like the knots in his stomach had loosened, and that alone was such a euphoric feeling, on par with that unexpected kiss. "That's...Okay," Yuuri breathed, feeling so painfully new at this, at the earnest way Victor held his face in his hands and just poured his heart out.

 

Victor laughed softly as he brushed their noses together. "Just 'okay'?"

 

"I meant great," Yuuri said, finally letting himself smile sheepishly. "Sorry, this is just...it's been...a really weird couple of days."

 

Victor surprised him with another kiss, lingering for a bit longer this time as Yuuri remembered to close his eyes and let himself enjoy it, caught up in the feeling of Victor's fingers carding through his hair. When Victor drew away again he took Yuuri's hand and tugged him towards the kitchen with a smile. "Come on. I'm feeding you brunch. Your stomach probably needs settling."

 

Brunch. Right. Because he'd been too nervous to eat ever since he woke up.

 

Brunch included sliced melon, the portions of which Victor kept lifting to Yuuri's mouth as they finished their meal. His blush still firmly in place, Yuuri allowed it, his nerves settling, unlike his heart, which kept up its hard beating as Victor beamed at him as though Yuuri were giving him a real treat.

 

But while one worry was taken away, the other still remained, and Yuuri's heart gave a guilty start when he realized it. He needed to tell Victor the truth, to give him a chance to back away, no matter how he felt about their budding relationship. Swallowing, Yuuri stared at the surface of the small table, his throat feeling tight as he cautiously began, "Listen, Victor...There was something else I needed to tell you."

 

"What is it?" Victor asked.

 

"It's...It's a little hard to explain. But...it's about me, and..." 

 

He trailed off and then his phone rang, filling him with an awful panic that stopped his mouth.

 

Goddamn him.

 

He looked at the screen and saw that it was Sara calling, the picture of her and Satomi filling his screen. His mouth gone dry, Yuuri quickly got to his feet, his chair legs scraping the floor. "I've got to go," he said, panic still rising inside of him as he went to grab Vicchan, who yipped in protest.

 

Victor stood up as well. "Yuuri?"

 

He sounded worried, but Yuuri couldn't face him, he couldn't face _telling_ him and watching the disillusionment fill his perfect face. Whatever image Victor had of him, Yuuri couldn't possibly hope to meet it. He put on a false smile, guilt and fear warring in his heart even though a smaller part of him _wanted_ to know if Victor would accept the reality of Yuuri's life, and shakily said, "Thanks for the food! I just...I really have to go take this. I-I'll call you later and I'll...I'll explain everything! I swear!" He paused at the door, well-aware that Victor was behind him, probably confused and left wondering what Yuuri wanted to say. "Because...I really do want to keep seeing you," Yuuri added, the words sounding pathetic.

 

"I-I'm glad," he heard Victor say. "Yuuri, is everything alright?"

 

His phone had stopped ringing, meaning he'd missed the call. "It's fine. I'll call later. Thanks again!" Then Yuuri was out the door, breathing hard and fearfully as he made his way down the stairs and out of the building. 

 

The cold air outside hit him hard, but it helped clear his head a little, just enough that he could call Sara back. When she answered, he quickly said, "Sorry, Sara. I got caught up in something. Is anything wrong?"

 

Her voice was cheerful as she said, " _No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask if it was okay if the three of us could hang out at your place. Nonno and Nonna are heading to my uncle's house in Skokie, so Satomi and I are finally free! I could use some time to relax a little after they kept trying to convince me to settle down with someone."_

 

Yuuri allowed himself a short laugh at that, realizing that he wanted to see Satomi again. He needed to hold her and listen to her talk about however her day went. "Yeah, it's definitely okay! I'm...not doing anything important."

 

_"Good! Satomi misses you."_

 

"I miss her too," he confessed, letting himself feel excited at the prospect of seeing them both.

 

_"So how was your night out? Do anything forgettable?"_

 

Of course she too knew about that one quirk of his. "I wish I hadn't. Forgotten, that is. It was...really good."

 

He heard her gasp before exclaiming in a near-hiss, " _Oh my god, did you bring someone home!?"_

 

"No, no, Phichit was there to take care of us, but...yeah, I met someone. Can we talk about it when you two come over?"

 

_"Yeah, of course. We'll be there in twenty."_

 

Twenty minutes was almost enough time for Yuuri to get things in order, making sure Satomi's bed had fresh sheets and that the pull-out sofa was ready in case Sara wanted to spend the night.

 

He was smiling when he opened the door to let them in, and he briefly forgot everything else when Satomi leaped at him with a giggle. "Daddy!"

 

"Hey, Sacchan!" Yuuri said, hugging her close. "I missed you."

 

"I missed you too! Vicchan, Vicchan!" she cried, trying to clamber out ot Yuuri's grip to get to the excited poodle.

 

Setting Satomi down, Yuuri beckoned Sara inside. "Did you two already have breakfast?"

 

"Yeah,  _Nonna_ wouldn't leave without feeding everyone first," she said with a little roll of her eyes. They sat down on the couch and watched Satomi play with Vicchan, and Sara playfully asked, "So tell me about this person you met. Are they nice? Cute?"

 

Yuuri felt cold again as he thought about Victor, his heart aching with uncertainty. "He's...Unbelievably gorgeous and funny and nice and...Sara, I'm in trouble again." While  Satomi was showing Vicchan how to fetch, Yuuri recounted the whole story to Sara, from meeting Victor in the park a week before up until leaving him without so much as a decent explanation. "So...I'm gonna go see him today and tell him, because if this is a problem for him I don't want it to turn into another Anthony situation. It wouldn't be fair to anyone," he finished quietly, still feeling guilty. 

 

Sara frowned at the mention of Yuuri's ex. "It wasn't fair of Anthony to do what he did. If he had a problem he should've left a long time ago instead of stringing you along for so long," she said. "But yeah, you should tell Victor. He'll either learn how to deal with it or you two can...end it before it gets worse, and I  _really_ don't want it to end. You deserve a hot Russian boyfriend!" she added with a teasing poke at his forehead. 

 

"Thanks for that," Yuuri said with a slight smile. "I should've told him on Friday night. I wouldn't be feeling like I was about to puke."

 

"Maybe that's the hangover."

 

Just then Satomi appeared in front of them, looking determined as she declared, "I want a tea party. With  _real_ tea."

 

Now that was something Yuuri could actually pull off without panicking. Smiling at his little girl, he got up and said, "Okay! We'll have a tea party. Is chamomile tea alright, your Highness?"

 

"Chammy tea! Yes!"

 

* * *

 

Yuuri had left Victor feeling thoroughly confused and worried.

 

He'd left without a proper explanation, and Victor kept wondering what he may have done wrong to prompt such a reaction from the younger man.

 

It maybe had to do with that mysterious phone call.

 

Whatever the case, Victor was concerned and couldn't wait until Yuuri called him. Plus he probably needed something to help him feel better, and Victor was only too eager to provide that.

 

A couple of hours later Victor was carrying a bouquet of roses as he left his building and rushed towards Yuuri's, Makkachin bounding beside him excitedly. 

 

He spared the directory a glance, finding the one marked "Katsuki" just as someone came out of the building.

 

He slipped inside and went up the stairs, excited at the thought of seeing Yuuri again, more excited than he'd felt in ages, than when he was with Karl.

 

Standing just outside the door, Victor could hear activity from within. Good, Yuuri was home. Victor took a deep breath and gave Makkachin a cheery glance before knocking on the door.

 

A thousand moments seemed to pass before the door opened and Yuuri was right in front of him. For a very brief moment he was smiling, carefree in the way he hadn't been earlier that afternoon. And then his smile quickly faded, replaced by an unusual pallor and a look of utter shock. "Victor! What are you...doing here?"

 

"I couldn't wait to see you again," Victor said, presenting the bouquet to the man.

 

Yuuri's eyes widened, and a blush rose to his cheeks. "...A-are those-"

 

"Daddy, where are you!?" someone, a small child, it sounded like, called from inside the apartment. Alarm filled Yuuri's face at the sound of it, and a second later a little girl appeared at Yuuri's leg. She yanked at his pant leg, Yuuri's pout on her face and purple eyes glaring up at him impatiently right before spotting Makkachin. "Puppy!" she squealed, hugging a happy Makkachin around the neck. Vicchan appeared behind her, yipping as if in greeting.

 

Yuuri looked down at her and then back up at Victor, looking panicked. Victor just stared back at him, totally flabbergasted until he realized that the little girl had called Yuuri "Daddy."

 

Victor stood there, speechless, and Yuuri jist looked...ashamed.

 

"Satomi, come back here-" a woman's voice called, making Victor's heart give a horrible lurch. She appeared behind Yuuri, bearing the same purple eyes as the little girl. Those same eyes widened when they fell on Victor and the roses he bore, and she caught her breath. "Oh.  _Oh_. It's  _Victor._ "

 

Victor didn't know if this was the part where he was supposed to be heartbroken.

 

Why would she know who he was? Why did Yuuri look like death itself?

 

"...I'm very confused right now," Victor said, his gaze falling on the girl who was staring up at him almost critically, like he was annoying her.

 

The woman appeared to recover first, smiling at Victor while Yuuri had an unreadable expression. "Hi! Hi, I'm Sara, and this is Satomi," she said, placing a hand on top of the girl's head and giving Yuuri a light nudge.

 

Yuuri gave a small jolt, blinking a couple of times before color filled his face and he finally looked down at the little girl. "She...Satomi's my...my daughter," he said quietly.

 

Victor kept staring at him and at the woman beside him. "Oh," he managed, doing everything he could to not let his feelings show. What was Yuuri doing, fooling around with him? Why hadn't he mentioned being with someone and having a daughter?

 

And why,  _why_ did it have to be Victor? For all his hurt feelings over his ex cheating on him, Yuuri was...so cruel. "It sounds like I interrupted something."

 

"Yeah. My tea party," Satomi replied, still pouting at Victor while petting Makkachin.

 

"Sacchan, behave. He's here to visit Daddy," Sara scolded, which only confused and distressed Victor further. Did she know what he and Yuuri were getting up to? Did they have some manner of arrangement?

 

"He's prettier than Anthy," Satomi remarked. Then she brightened and excitedly asked Victor, "Do you wanna come to my tea party?"

 

Victor gaped at her, avoiding Yuuri's eyes even as they beckoned him. Victor knew that normally this would be the part where he marched away, far away from Yuuri, and do whatever he could to forget about him and his sweet smile. But something else urged him to stay, to demand the answers he sought, "I'd...be honored!" he said to her, beaming at her even as his emotions were in absolute turmoil inside him.

 

Yuuri sucked in a sharp breath while Sara nodded vigorously. "Good! Come on in!"

 

Satomi tugged her mother back in, and the dogs followed them. It was just Victor and Yuuri left in the doorway. Before Yuuri could say a word, Victor took his wrist and gave him a hard look. "Are you married?" he asked in low tones.

 

Yuuri's cheeks flushed and he immediately answered, "No!"

 

"Divorced?"

 

"No." Yuuri looked right at Victor, his eyes pained. "Sara and I aren't together. I'm telling the truth."

 

Victor looked into his eyes and thought he could see his own pain reflected in them, that heartbreak they shared. "Alright," he said, taking the risk and releasing Yuuri's hand.

 

Yuuri only looked a little relieved, but didn't smile as he let Victor inside.

 

The apartment was cozy, and Victor spotted several pictures of Satomi as a baby and toddler hanging in various spots. The girl herself was at the kitchen table, where a teapot and three mugs stood, Sara sitting next to her with a sheepish look. Then Satomi pointed at the bouquet Victor held on to and asked, "Who're the flowers for?"

 

Victor couldn't help blushing, caught off-guard. He quickly recovered and replied with a smile and a wink, "For all of you, of course! Any decent tea party needs pretty flowers, don't you think?"

 

She gave him a glowing smile and Victor's heart stopped. Yuuri's smile. "Thank you!!" she squealed. "Daddy, sit down! We're still having a tea party!"

 

Yuuri took the bouquet from Victor, giving him a meaningful look. Victor returned it, his heart beating hard and fast.

 

Later on, after Satomi recounted the sordid details of a weekend with great-grandparents who wouldn't stop pinching and kissing her cheeks or sighing deeply whenever they looked at her, Victor managed to relax a little, and let the novelty of an imaginative child absorb him and distract him from his thoughts. He watched her face, finding both parents' features, and kept his answers simple when she asked how he and Yuuri met. She seemed enchanted by the fact that Vicchan had led Yuuri to him.

 

Sara herself was more than pleasant. She smiled at Victor, almost in careful welcome, and seemed to have no issue with any of Victor's replies to her daughter's inquiries. Then she gently suggested, "Hey, Satomi, why don't we give Daddy and Victor some time to talk?" "

 

Yuuri gave her a grateful look as Satomi thought for a moment and finally replied, "Okay!" She then turned to Victor and said, "Don't leave yet! We're going to watch a movie!"

 

"I won't leave, I promise," Victor replied with a smile.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri knew his world was on the brink of total collapse, and he had no clue why Victor was even still there. He had every right to leave, to fling those roses in Yuuri's face and turn his back on him.

 

But here he was, speaking with Satomi and indulging her whim, like she already had him wrapped around her little finger.

 

When Sara took Satomi to her room, Yuuri was incredibly anxious, knowing that these were crucial moments where he'd be allowed no excuses. He would be honest in the way hw should've been from the beginning. He felt Victor's gaze on him and heard the man say quietly, "I still have questions."

 

"Ask me whatever you want," Yuuri replied, his throat tight.

 

"...Why didn't you tell me?"

 

Hating the hurt in Victor's voice, Yuuri figured it would be better to start at the beginning. "Do you remember me mentioning an ex-girlfriend?"

 

"That was Sara?

 

"Yeah. Yeah, we...we were together in college for a little while, and...well, one faulty condom later we were having a baby. We broke up before figuring out she was pregnant and just...We thought it'd be best to just stay friends and be the best parents we could be. And that's all we are. Friends and co-parents." He looked up at Victor, begging him to understand, ready to beg even more for forgiveness.

 

Victor looked at him thoughtfully, a frown wrinkling his brow. "Was this what you had to tell me this afternoon?"

 

Right. When Yuuri had run away like the coward he was. "Yeah. Yeah, I...I wanted to tell you all weekend, but...I got scared."

 

"Scared? Of what?" Victor looked at him directly and asked, "Did I somehow give you the idea that I hate kids?"

 

Yuuri quickly replied, "No! No, but...Come on, liking kids and...your partner having a kid of their own are two different things!" He thought of the past year, of the time when he thought everything was fine when it was just falling apart and he was oblivious to it. "It's just...as soon as Anthony knew I had a kid, he looked at me differently. I mean...I have commitments, and Sara and I are friends. She's...closer to me in ways Phichit and Chris aren't. Anthony wasn't going to come first. No one ever could." He said it firmly and looked right at Victor as he said it. Victor just stared back, and Yuuri sighed and added, "I'd have to cancel a date because Satomi got sick, or she wouldn't go to sleep without both me and Sara there..."

 

Victor's gaze drifted towards his mug, looking like he was deep in thoguht. Yuuri kept staring at him, his heart aching at the thought of driving him away. "...I'm probably no good for you anyway. I have a little girl and her mother and I are deep in each other's lives. I stress out so much I binge eat, which is why I gain weight so fast, and I'm a miserable crybaby..."

 

He heard Victor let out a soft chuckle and looked up in shock, meeting the gentle smile on the man's face as he regarded him. "Is all that supposed to scare me away? The way I see it, you're...responsible, reliable...You value your relationships, and you're sensitive." He leaned in towards Yuuri, lowering his voice as he added, "And you have such a soft, sexy body."

 

Yuuri gaped at him, his stomach doing several flips. "...Sexy?"

 

"Exactly. Sexy, brown-eyed bombshell," Victor replied, his hand tracing a soft line over Yuuri's jaw. 

 

Yuuri drew away with a shiver, disbelief and relief warring inside him. Swallowing, he dragged a hand through his hair and said with chagrin, "I...I shouldn't have kept this from you, I know. I'm sorry, but...I just didn't want to drive you away. But I'll get it if you do change your mind. I really do. I won't hold it against you. I just...If it comes down to choosing between you and my daughter, you know who I'm going to choose."

 

"Aren't you listening to me? That's not what I want you to do at all," Victor said, looking mildly exasperated even as he continued to smile. "I like kids. Honestly. I always wanted to have some someday."

 

"Exactly. Someday. Not now. Especially when you're free to get on a plane and do whatever you want. I can't do that! Not when I have to think about what's best for Satomi."

 

Victor shook his head and replied, "I don't want to make you choose. I wouldn't do that to you or your little girl. Call me an idiotic romantic all you want, but I think this can still work. Give me a chance to show you and Sara."

 

Yuuri's heart gave a hard pang, and he stopped breathing. "...You mentioned Sara."

 

"She is Satomi's mother, isn't she?" Victor asked with a light laugh that Yuuri never expected when he imagined this entire conversation. "I'll admit, I wasn't exactly expecting something like this when I asked you out, but I've always loved surprises."

 

"Come on...No one expects their partner to have a kid  _and_ a...co-parent who's also their ex-partner." Yuuri said sadly. "If there was anything I learned from Anthony it's that not everyone can deal with all of that."

 

"Well I'm not Anthony. Frankly I don't care for the comparison."

 

"Sorry," Yuuri murmured. "And...I'm sorry for not being honest with you from the beginning. You deserved better than that, and I should've given you a fair chance to tell me to go to hell. I didn't want you to find out like...well, like _this_."

 

A moment passed before Victor said, "You're forgiven, on one condition." His hand cupped Yuuri's cheek again, thumb tracing Yuuri's bottom lip as he said in a soft tone, "Kiss me, because I don't think I got enough of you this afternoon."

 

Exhaling shakily, Yuuri hesitated before leaning in to press his lips against Victor, euphoria flooding every part of his brain and lighting it up as Victor kissed him back, still so tender.

 

When Yuuri drew away he was blushing, his heart racing happily as he smiled and asked the older man, "So...You like her? Really?"

 

Still stroking his cheek, Victor cheerily replied, "Of course I do! She's adorable! And of course she would be, her parents are both so gorgeous. And she has such a wonderful imagination too."

 

"Yeah, she's...She's amazing." Yuuri looked down, brain catching up to just how lucky he was. "Um...I've got her overnight for most of the week," he confessed, still hoping Victor was serious.

 

"So no drunken karaoke?"

 

"Add that to the list of things I never want her to know," Yuuri muttered. "You wouldn't mind a night in every now and then?"

 

"I meant what I said, Yuuri. Let's give all of this a chance," Victor said before darting in and kissing the tip of Yuuri's nose

 

Blushing hard, Yuuri prayed it would all work out this time. He wanted to know everything about Victor, and wanted more time to do that. He prayed he would have it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those moments when Fate says, "Fuck you!!"
> 
> Please leave a comment ♡


	8. Build-up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short update in the middle of this polar vortex

"Were you guys kissing?"

 

Yuuri jumped away from Victor in record time, his face red as a cherry as his daughter reappeared in front of them. Victor tried not to mourn the loss too keenly. He wanted to put in true effort, for Yuuri's sake and his own. While Yuuri's omission still stung, Victor found himself not wanting to leave the intriguing man behind, and he'd been so charmed by Satomi. He knew that, somehow, it would all be worth it, as new and unexpected as everything seemed right now. 

 

So he gave the girl a sincere smile as he held on to Yuuri's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as the man appeared to struggle with finding the right words to explain things to his daughter.

 

Sara quickly appeared beside her daughter, kneeling down beside the tiny girl and giving them an apologetic glance. "Sorry, guys. She was getting bored. Satomi, be polite," she chided gently as she took the girl into her arms. She straightened and turned to smile at Victor. "We didn't get a chance to say hi. I'm Sara."

 

"Victor Nikiforov. It's nice to meet you both," he replied, still holding Yuuri's hand as he looked and Sara and thought about the ease with which she and Yuuri seemed to just co-exist, and wondered how long it took to get to that level of comfort after a break-up. It was as if they were actually married, a thought that made Victor's heart give a painful pang. He reminded himself that it wasn't the case. They were giving their daughter as much stability as possible.

 

Sara sat down on an armchair with Satomi on her lap, the girl still gazing at Victor with those deep violet eyes. "So Yuuri told me you're visiting from Russia," Sara remarked.

 

Meeting the girl's gaze with as much sincerity as he could muster, Victor answered her mother, "St. Petersburg, yes."

 

"So you speak Russian," Satomi said. She immediately looked at Yuuri, and stated, "Daddy, I wanna learn Russian."

 

Victor almost laughed until spotting the earnestness in her young gaze, showing how fully determined she was to do whatever she set her mind to. He looked at Yuuri, who was smiling at her with fond indulgence as he replied, "Maybe after you finish learning Japanese and Italian."

 

Satomi did beam proudly then, and Victor just couldn't help smiling over how utterly adorable she was. "I think I may have just met the smartest little girl in the world," he told her, impressed.

 

She smiled back at him, and Yuuri gave Victor's hand a squeeze as she asked him, "How many languages do  _you_ know?"

 

"Three. English is technically my third language. French is my second," Victor told her, unable to resist throwing a quick wink in Yuuri's direction and relishing the cute blush that appeared on his cheeks.

 

Much to his amusement, Sara blushed a little bit too. Clearing her throat she pressed her cheek to Satomi's and asked, "So what movie do you want to watch?"

 

"Moana!" she quickly said.

 

Yuuri chuckled softly, sharing a quick grin with Victor. "Wow, we haven't watched that one in a while."

 

Which Victor took to mean that Yuuri and Sara probably had the entire movie memorized by now. Well, so did he.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri was incredibly aware of Victor still sitting beside him throughout that entire evening, apparently not bothered by the fact that he was watching a kid movie with him, Sara, and Satomi, who was in the habit of singing along to every song.

 

To Yuuri's astonishment Victor happily joined in with as much enthusiasm as Satomi, who seemed absolutely delighted that there was one more adult in her life who'd sing with her. 

 

Meanwhile Yuuri felt himself falling even deeper, and judging by the knowing look on Sara's face she knew he was falling deep and hard. He'd never seen her react that way to Anthony, and if Yuuri was completely honest, Anthony never really put in that much effort with either her or Satomi. 

 

By the time the movie ended Satomi was comfortably seated on Yuuri's lap, yawning a little as she tried to keep her eyes on Victor's smiling face.

 

Sara left a little while later once she and Yuuri put Satomi to bed, hugging him at the door and waving at Victor before leaving for the night. Makkachin and Vicchan were curled up together next to the food and water bowls, totally undisturbed.

 

"So you really don't mind me staying, then," Victor was asking from his place on the couch, holding a mug of hot tea in his hand.

 

Yuuri looked at him, still amazed that the man was still there, that he'd met Sara and Satomi and he was  _still_ interested in Yuuri. "I don't. Really. She usually sleeps through the night without a problem." He went to sit next to the other man, and couldn't help asking, "You're sure you don't mind staying?"

 

"I'm sure, Yuuri," Victor replied, his smile warm as he once again reached for Yuuri's hand right before moving closer to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

 

Yuuri relaxed into the touch, sighing out the tension of the past few days as he leaned against the warmth of Victor's body. "Thank you. For today. And for staying."

 

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Victor said softly, giving him a long squeeze. The words hit Yuuri right in the center of him, like he'd been deprived of them for such a long time and wanted to beg for more. Then Victor added, "Satomi really is a sweet girl. She's just like you."

 

Yuuri smiled shakily, a lump threatening to rise in his throat as he thought about Victor's easy interaction with his daughter and Sara. He'd expected the man to quickly become annoyed and make some excuse to leave, but here he was, having waited patiently while he helped Satomi get ready for bed.

 

Swallowing, Yuuri tried to keep the tightness out of his voice as he said, "She's like her mom. She doesn't let any of the other kids mess with her. Sara's always been like that as long as I've known her, especially since her brother's had a lot to say about us getting involved in the first place." Suddenly he realized he was getting into territory that Victor probably didn't want to revisit, especially if it involved Yuuri's prior relationship with Sara. Flushing, he said, "Sorry, that's...probably not something I should talk about. It's in the past."

 

Victor let out a soft laugh and said, "Yuuri, it's fine. It has to do with your daughter after all, and I want to know everything about her."

 

He sounded so genuine it caught Yuuri by surprise. He didn't want to jump the gun and ask himself or Victor if he was ready to become a third parent. He hadn't asked that of Anthony, and realized he probably should have, but at least Satomi didn't get hurt when all of that fell apart. "Really?"

 

"Yes." Victor took his hand again, bringing it to his lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. "I want to know how you felt when you found out about her, when she took her first steps, when she started walking..."

 

Yuuri stared at him, totally surprised. No one had ever really asked him about those things. He and Sara had talked about the changes at length during the pregnancy, when Satomi was an infant, everything that happened as their daughter grew up, but he'd never really spoken about those specific emotions. Certainly not with Anthony. He stared at their joined hands, focusing on the exquisite detail on the face of Victor's watch, slim and light on his wrist.

 

He thought back to the day of the pregnancy test, taking a deep breath and briefly closing his eyes. "I was...scared out of my mind. I had no clue what we were going to do," he confessed, holding on to Victor. "She told me she wanted to keep it, that I didn't have to take responsibility if I didn't want to. But I wanted to, and I did. But she wasn't going to marry me. It's worked out so far. She's a great mom, and her parents like me, even if her brother wants to kill me half the time."

 

"And the first time you saw Satomi? How did that feel?" Victor asked encouragingly. 

 

"It felt like I wanted to just make everything that was wrong in the world disappear." That answer came easier because that feeling had never really gone away. "She was perfect, and she's so pretty and smart, and...sometimes I think she deserves better than me."

 

Victor frowned slightly at that. "Why? You adore her, and she loves you."

 

"I know," Yuuri murmured, shaky and nervous over the admission. It wasn't the kind of thing he talked about with anyone. Not even Sara. He knew it sounded irrational, but it was a misery that dogged him persistently.

 

He stared down at his lap, heart giving a little twinge at a soft noise of sympathy from Victor. He trailed the backs of his fingers over Yuuri's cheek, making heat rise to his face again. He looked at Victor from out of the corner of his eye, absorbed by the look of tenderness on his face. 

 

Yuuri's gaze fell to the man's soft lips, the gentle swell of his bottom lip, and realized how much he wanted to kiss him again. He'd feared the kisses from that afternoon would be the first and last kisses Victor would ever give him once he found out about Yuuri's huge omission, but here was Victor, sitting next to him and doing his best with everything Yuuri had thrown at him.

 

A great swell of gratitude and some other wonderful sensation rose up in Yuuri's chest, and he timidly gazed at the other man, trying to be braver than he was before taking a deep breath and saying. "Thank you...For staying, I mean."

 

Victor gave him a lovely smile, thumb tracing his bottom lip in an almost playful motion. "I'm glad to stay, Yuurichka."

 

The sudden endearment hit Yuuri like an arrow to the chest, and suddenly he was leaning in to kiss the other man, taking the bare minimum of what he wanted.

 

Victor breathed in sharply before one of his hands found its way to Yuuri's nape, tilting his head again to meld their lips together still so softly. The slow and minute movement of those lips on his and the wonderful scent of Victor beginning to surround him had Yuuri's hand shaking as it rested just below the man's shoulder, a touch meant to be grounding but just had Yuuri's heart racing even more. 

 

Then Victor was drawing him closer, his other hand curling over Yuuri's hip, squeezing it as though he wanted him even closer. His tongue traced the seam of Yuuri's mouth, causing him to part his lips in surprise. Then Victor was kissing him like he was famished, fingers dragging through Yuuri's hair and making a mess of it.

 

Yuuri's own hands didn't seem to know what to do or where to stay, scrambling over Victor's shoulders or skating over his nape, fingertips grazing the edge of his hairline before he finally gave in and drove his hands into the silken silver strands, deepening the kiss.

 

The sound of Victor breathing hard each time they parted before bringing their lips together again had Yuuri fighting down whimpers, wonderful sensation coursing up and down his spine and through his chest.

 

He then found himself on his back, the breath momentarily knocked out of him as he gazed up at Victor's flushed face through his skewed glasses right before the man lowered his head to kiss him again and kiss along his chin and jaw until he was nosing at a sensitive spot beneath Yuuri's ear that had him breathing shakily. Then Victor started to lightly suck at the spot, and Yuuri had to bite down on his lip to keep quiet, hands clutching Victor's shirt and hair.

 

"Um..." He shook beneath Victor's body, fingers going tense and loose as he moved them slowly over the warm expanse of Victor's back, scratching lightly at his nape just to feel him moan quietly beneath his ear, fanning his skin with hot breath. He took several deep breaths, licking his sensitive lips and trying not to lose himself in the feeling of Victor snugly settled between his legs because he had to hang on to that moment of clarity, where he remembered that his daughter was nearby and maybe he himself wasn't ready to take this step again.

 

He reluctantly gave Victor's shoulder a gentle push, eyes shut as the man drew away with hard breaths. Feeling how red his face was, Yuuri forced himself to look right up at Victor, and murmured, "I don't really have any..."

 

"...Any what...?" Victor asked, voice soft with lingering heat, his forehead so close to touching Yuuri's and his eyes hypnotic.

 

Swallowing again, Yuuri forced himself to say, "I don't have any lube, or condoms..."

 

Victor blinked at him twice before smiling down at him with a soft chuckle, dipping down to kiss Yuuri and dart his tongue between his parted lips. "I'm not against just making out with you, Yuuri," he murmured before pressing languid kisses to Yuuri's jaw. 

 

Yuuri let out a shaky exhale, his hand settling atop Victor's nape and shoulder again. "You sure about that?" he couldn't resist asking in hushed tones, holding on as tight as he could to the man driving him crazy without even taking a stitch of clothing off.

 

Victor only gave an affirming hum, mouth and tongue busying themselves at Yuuri's neck again while the younger man sighed and closed his eyes, his heart still beating hard against his ribs while Victor's curious fingers skirted over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment!


	9. Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the feedback, beebs <3

Yuuri had been washing the same bowl for about three minutes, totally unaware of the dopey look his face was currently sporting as he went over last night's events in his head. 

 

They'd lost track of time and Yuuri was totally disheveled by the time Victor went home, and the other man was really no better, his bangs a mess and his shirt wrinkled and untucked after Yuuri's hands roamed over his back with an aching hunger for the feeling of warm skin. His lips were sensitive from every kiss, nip, and suck from Victor's playful and talented mouth, and he marveled at just how skin-hungry he'd been immediately after they came apart, panting like giddy high-schoolers.

 

Victor had gone home, but not before pressing more eager kisses to Yuuri's mouth and whispering words of good night to him in between kisses, driving Yuuri crazy with his scent and the feeling of his hands on his body.

 

Afterward Yuuri spent the rest of the night thinking about how good it felt to have someone between his legs...

 

"Daddy, are you almost done?"

 

Yuuri jumped in shock, his face red as he dropped the bowl into the sink and he guiltily spun around to face his daughter, staring down into her curious face as she gazed up at him, all dressed up and ready for preschool. Vicchan stood beside her, his black eyes glittering almost knowingly.

 

"Sorry! Yeah, I'm finished," Yuuri said, grabbing a towel to quickly dry off his hands, mentally berating himself for getting distracted. This wasn't like any regular relationship where he could take his sweet time thinking about Victor as much as he wanted. Honestly, there was nothing for Yuuri to reference when it came to how to proceed from here. He thought he at least had some idea about what he was doing when he was with Anthony, but obviously he hadn't. Hell, there wasn't even anything he could say to the guy after catching him with another man, and thinking about that made him feel pathetic.  _What could I say, though? In front of all those people? "Anthony Amane, you're a cheating piece of shit and I never want to see you again"?_

 

But all he'd done was walk away. 

 

And he often thought about how Anthony didn't even come after him. Maybe he'd  _wanted_ to be discovered. Yuuri wasn't sure and he hated that, but he was well-aware that dwelling on it all wasn't good for him. He just wanted to focus on sweet, funny, ridiculous Victor and kisses that had him feeling euphoric.

 

Satomi shrugged and started making her way towards the door, picking up her backpack on the way. Yuuri stared after her, still so amazed at the way Victor seemed so determined to charm her and Sara. In comparison, Anthony watching his language and being distantly polite seemed like minimum effort.

 

Shaking his head, Yuuri decided he needed to stop thinking about Anthony. He would obviously never say what he'd needed to say to him back then, and Victor was so good at making him forget his troubles.

 

He looked down again at Vicchan's judgmental gaze. "Don't give me that look," Yuuri muttered, crouching down to frown at his dog. "I saw how you were getting pretty up close and personal with Makkachin." 

 

Vicchan gave a plaintive whine before snorting and giving Yuuri his back.

 

A minute later Yuuri's phone chimed with a notification, and he discovered that it was a message from Victor.

 

**VICTOR:**

**I hope you slept well, bombshell <3**

**I thought about you ;)**

 

Butterflies. Definitely butterflies, flapping around Yuuri's insides.

 

* * *

 

Hours later Satomi was dropped off and Yuuri was sitting in his office, staring at his screen and at all the comments on the document. It wasn't his favorite part of the entire process, but he still soldiered on, his leg shaking under his desk, nevertheless. 

 

He heard footsteps from behind him, and gasped when he felt someone drape themselves over his shoulders. A look from out the corner of his eye told him that it was Christophe, a wide grin on his face as he rested his chin on Yuuri's shoulder. "So how is Saturday night's star doing today? Hard at work?"

 

Blushing at the reminder, Yuuri kept his eyes on his computer screen. "I'm just trying to make a living, and not letting Drunk Yuuri make another appearance."

 

"That's what you said last time," Christophe chuckled. "Eduard was just dropping off my lunch. Silly me, I forgot it this morning on my way out." He lifted himself off of Yuuri and showed him the large paper bag.

 

"Lucky you," Yuuri murmured, his stomach threatening to growl at the delicious smell. 

 

"Alright, alright, I'll give you my blueberry muffin so you'll stop moping, adorable as it is," Christophe said, opening his bag to fish around inside of it, ignoring Yuuri's protests and taking out said muffin and handing it to him. "I know I'm lucky, but you are too. You've got hot Russian ass right next door. I bet all you have to do is put on your tightest pair of jeans and wiggle your ass a little in front of him. He'll bring you lunch, dinner,  _and_ dessert."

 

"About that," Yuuri said as a blush rose to his cheeks. "Victor came over again yesterday. He...met Satomi and Sara."

 

He could feel Christophe's demeanor quickly turn serious, and suddenly his friend was turning Yuuri's seat around so they could face each other, the older man's brow furrowed in concern. "What happened? How did he take it when you told him?"

 

"...I didn't. He...came over and surprised me, and...well, Sara and Sacchan both happened to be there." He went on to guiltily tell Christophe all about his own flimsy attempts to tell the man before chickening out, and the gist of everything that had occurred after Victor appeared and saw for himself that Yuuri had a daughter.

 

"So he...took it well," Christophe stated more than asked, still looking concerned as he leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. "And it sounds like you had a rather lovely night, even if you did keep your clothes on."

 

"Yeah, it's possible to have fun without any clothes coming off, Chris," Yuuri said with a roll of his eyes. "The point is...he surprised me. He's still surprising me. I've got Sacchan most of this week and Victor's coming over for dinner tonight. You should've seen how great he was with her _and_ Sara! It was awkward at first, but...it's like they're  _friends._ "

 

Christophe placed a hand on his chest and faked a swoon. "Ah, they tell you never to meet your heroes, but to find out that one of my favorite authors is such sweetheart makes me want to weep with happiness. And you and those gorgeous hips of yours managed to snatch him up. There may be hope for this world yet."

 

Yuuri couldn't help smiling a little even as optimism and anxiety battled inside of him. He supposed he'd gotten used to things not going the way he expected them too, and he didn't know if it would turn out good or bad. He knew Victor was in the country on a temporary basis, and the idea of going long-distance made him painfully hungry for the feeling of Victor in his arms again, too greedy for it to be expected to starve himself again. 

 

"...I just want this to...to turn out great," he admitted.

 

"And I'm sure it will," Christophe replied confidently. "You should have seen Victor that night. I mean  _seen_ him. He was completely enchanted by you."

 

Yuuri found that a bit hard to believe. Him? Enchanting?

 

Still, the way Victor's lips had worshiped his the night before made him think that it was maybe a little true.

 

* * *

 

Just what did one bring to a dinner date that would include a four-year-old?

 

Victor eventually decided against buying the truffles. He was often told that he tended to exaggerate things, and he didn't want to do anything to derail the progress he'd made in winning over the tiny girl. 

 

 _Think like a child. Yakov treats you like one most days anyway._ He smiled fondly at the thought of his old mentor as he made his way to the snack aisle. The man had been like a father to him for almost twenty years, and was also his biggest critic. Victor loved the man dearly, and wanted to call him and tell him about Yuuri.

 

Of course Yakov would have his reservations, especially since he knew that Victor was fresh out of a relationship, and would question the wisdom of venturing into a new relationship with a man who lived in another country.

 

That reminded Victor of all he needed to figure out in terms of extending his visa and figuring out living arrangements. Mila would finish her work soon, and nothing bound her to America, and Victor wanted more time with Yuuri, to be with him and get to know him, because something told Victor that the unassuming young man was more passionate than anyone Victor had ever known.

 

Still, it scared him how much power Yuuri already had over him. Karl once told him he had such a heart of glass, and Victor supposed that was true, especially after feeling so broken with loneliness when they ended their relationship. He knew that it would only take a single word from Yuuri and Victor would find himself in that shattered state again, having been so ready to hand his heart over to a beautiful man.

 

He sighed and stared at the cookies for a long time. Cookies were simple. And tasty. A package of chocolate chip cookies would likely go a long way towards winning Satomi over further. Cookies wouldn't break any hearts.

 

"Indulging your sweet tooth, Vitya?" Mila asked as she appeared beside him. "You won't win Yuuri over by giving his baby girl cavities."

 

"I imagine she brushes her teeth, Milochka," Victor said with a laugh. "Besides, I'm bringing grapes too."

 

"Actual grapes? Not like...a bottle of wine?"

 

"Yes, actual grapes."

 

He'd told her everything that had transpired the evening prior that morning, amused by the dumbfounded look on her face while admitting that he still felt that way when he looked back on it all. Indeed, he was mildly sleep-deprived, having thought about Yuuri's sweet lips and lovely body beneath his for most of the night until he found himself having to fuck his own hand and muffle his moans into his pillow, lust burning in his blood in a way that it hadn't in months. Hell, Karl had been indifferent in bed for a long while before leaving, and Victor had felt little to no desire in those last, empty weeks.

 

"So, does this mean you're ready to be a step-dad?" Mila asked as they made their way to the cash registers. 

 

Victor bit his lip, considering his answer. What he'd said to Yuuri was the truth; he wanted kids one day, and he wanted to raise those kids with someone he loved. He just honestly hadn't expected it to happen so soon, especially if things with Yuuri went well, and Victor  _really_ wanted that to happen. He knew Yuuri had an enormous responsibility, one that Victor knew took priority over any relationship. "I suppose I have to be," Victor replied. "She's so adorable too, it'd be hard not to love her."

 

"Well, they're not always so lovable," Mila reminded him. 

 

"Even so, I'll love her with all my heart," Victor said with a huge smile. "Sara's nice too. You should meet her."

 

"Is she single? Pretty? Looking to date someone?"

 

A laugh burst out of Victor's mouth, and he looked at his companion almost incredulously. "Listen to you! Are  _you_ ready to become a step-mom?"

 

"I'd be the  _best_ step-mom," Mila said with a grin.

 

"...She's beautiful, and Yuuri didn't mention that she was with anyone."

 

Mila's eyes sparkled with a familiar, determined gleam, and Victor smiled to see it. Love was in the air in autumn.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri didn't remember ever speaking so much about Sara and Satomi with anyone that wasn't Chris or Phichit.

 

Yet here he was, talking about Satomi's first words, her first steps, and showing off her drawings to Victor, who looked so sincerely fascinated by it all that Yuuri almost had to do a mental double-take. Satomi had her own commentary and questions with each story, and even explaining the content of her drawings with an amount of detail that surprised Yuuri, and made him proud of his daughter.

 

He couldn't keep his eyes off of either one of them. Victor kept indulging Sacchan, who glowed under the attention, and Yuuri couldn't help appreciating what he was doing. He knew Sacchan was an important part of Yuuri's life, and clearly wanted to make a good impression on her, going as far as treating her with cookies and even grapes (which Yuuri supposed were more for  _his_ benefit, as a responsible parent).

 

Victor had gotten him a bouquet of roses once again, hiding them behind it while he kissed Yuuri deeply, tongue briefly slipping into his mouth as he squeezed Yuuri's waist. Then they were interrupted when Satomi ran up to hug Victor around the legs before going to hug Makkachin, playing with him and Vicchan while Yuuri and Victor set the table.

 

"What kind of stories do you write?" she suddenly asked Victor.

 

"Mystery stories," Victor replied with a grin. "The main character is a genius detective, but I doubt he's as smart as you."

 

Yuuri wanted to kiss him for that.

 

Satomi then asked excitedly, "Can you read it to me? Please?"

 

"It's a grown-up book, honey," Yuuri quickly said, trying to dissuade her.

 

She looked mildly disappointed for a moment before Victor said, "Tell you what: I'll come up with a good story to tell you when you're ready to go to bed! How does that sound?" He turned and gave Yuuri a wink, adding, "And it'll be child-friendly."

 

"Cool!" Satomi exclaimed with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Yuuri, meanwhile, just kept staring at Victor, blown away by the gesture. It was...an effort beyond anything Yuuri would have expected from anyone who wasn't a parent.

 

The warmth in his heart was different from last night's heat, but it was a feeling he enjoyed just the same. Victor's smiles in his direction were dazzling, and sometimes he would reach across the table to squeeze Yuuri's hand, making him blush at all the interest and attention. This was actually happening to  _him_ , and he didn't have to keep Satomi or Sara separate from it all, or refrain from even mentioning them.

 

After sharing a few cookies between the three of them, Yuuri announced to Satomi that it was time for her bath and to put her to bed. Satomi protested of course, until Victor reminded her that he was working on her bedtime story in his head. She went peacefully after that, and when Yuuri picked her up Victor started gathering the dishes and washing them, throwing a wide smile at Yuuri over his shoulder.

 

Some time later Satomi was sitting up in bed, practically twitching with excitement as she waited for her story. Yuuri met Victor at the door, astonished to see that the kitchen was clean and the dishes were put away. "You...you didn't have to do all this," Yuuri mumbled, blushing as he peered up at Victor."

 

"I wanted to make things easier for you," Victor replied, stroking underneath Yuuri's chin with the tips of his fingers. "And you know what? I think I've grown attached to this new story I just made up."

 

Yuuri smiled up at him. "Is it your long-awaited sequel?"

 

"Maybe," Victor said coyly.

 

"I'm ready for my story!" Satomi called from inside the room in a sing-song voice.

 

Both men looked at each other sheepishly before Victor cleared his throat and entered the bedroom, announcing grandiosely, "Are you ready to hear the story of Olga Komarova, Girl Detective?"

 

Satomi squealed happily, and Yuuri could feel himself falling way,  _way_ hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment!


End file.
